Potential cultural predictors of heavy episodic drinking in Hispanic college students
Abstract
Heavy alcohol use is a serious health risk for many college students. However, it is uncertain how cultural variables impact alcohol use in college populations. In this study, the relationships between gender, bicultural identity, familism, and adherence to traditional gender roles with Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) in a Hispanic college sample are assessed. Participants, 40 males and 40 females, were asked to complete a pencil and paper questionnaire packet, which assessed relevant demographic information, as well as measures designed to rate drinking amount and frequency, bicultural integration, familism, and traditional gender role adherence. Average age for the sample was 20.4 years (SD = 3.66), in which the majority of participants were classified as either Freshmen or Sophomores (90.3%). Overall, 48.8% of participants reported engaging in HED, with 60% of men and 37.5% of women reporting HED, representing a significant difference between male and female engagement in HED (χ2(1) = 4.05, p< .05). Men also consumed more drinks per week than women (t (53.5) = 3.10, p< .05). Logistic regression was utilized to assess possible predictors of HED. Neither the overall model nor individual predictors were statistically significant. These findings suggest the continued assessment of HED in the context of gender differences, with the addition of other culturally based constructs, as well as other psychosocial factors that are found to predict heavy drinking in other ethnocultural college aged student groups.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Hispanic Americans
Recommended Citation
Venegas, Jennifer, "Potential cultural predictors of heavy episodic drinking in Hispanic college students" (2007). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1444095.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1444095