Alcohol and Alcoholism
Volume 51, Issue 6, 2016, Pages 702-709

Longitudinal effects of acculturation on alcohol use among vietnamese and cambodian immigrant women in the USA (Article) (Open Access)

Kane J.C.* , Johnson R.M. , Robinson C. , Jernigan D.H. , Harachi T.W. , Bass J.K.
  • a Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • b Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • c Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • d Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
  • e University of Washington School of Social Work, 4101 15th Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105, United States
  • f Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States

Abstract

Aims: Recent studies indicate that alcohol use is increasing among Asian American populations and that acculturation impacts alcohol use among immigrants in the USA. We investigated the longitudinal relationship between three domains of acculturation (traditionalism, biculturalism, assimilation) and alcohol use among 302 Vietnamese and Cambodian women in Washington State. Methods: Data were obtained from the Cross Cultural Families Project (CCF), a 5-year longitudinal investigation of a random sample of Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families living in Washington State. Alcohol use was measured with a three item scale assessing frequency and quantity of use, and binge drinking. Acculturation was measured with the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale. Linear mixed effects regression models were estimated to assess the impact of acculturation on alcohol use among the overall sample and among a sub-sample of only women who consumed any alcohol. Results: A majority of the sample, 73.2%, reported no alcohol use. In the overall sample, none of the three acculturation domains were significantly associated with drinking. Among a sub-sample of only those who reported any alcohol use, however, a greater degree of traditional cultural identification (β = -0.94, SE= 0.44, P= 0.03) and a greater degree of biculturalism (β = -1.33, SE= 0.53, P =0.01) were associated with lower levels of use. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that acculturation did not impact alcohol use prevalence but that it did affect the drinking pattern among alcohol consumers. Clinicians should be cognizant that certain aspects of cultural identification are important contributors to drinking behavior among alcohol consumers in these populations. © The Author 2016. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

rating scale Vietnam binge drinking immigrant longitudinal study vietnamese Alcohol Drinking drinking behavior alcohol consumption Cambodia Cambodian human epidemiology Longitudinal Studies priority journal alcohol ethnology United States Humans Acculturation Viet Nam female cultural factor prevalence Article adult
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84994515485&doi=10.1093%2falcalc%2fagw007&partnerID=40&md5=91581f34a6a651c017b1105ec45535e0
DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agw007
ISSN: 07350414
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English