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Alcohol use Exacerbates Acculturative Stress Among Recently Immigrated, Young Adult Latinas

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Abstract

Associations between theorized sociocultural factors and acculturative stress were examined among Latina immigrants (aged 18–23 years) during their initial months in the US. Participants’ quantity of alcohol use was hypothesized to be linked with more acculturative stress. Using respondent-driven sampling, 530 Latinas who recently immigrated to Miami-Dade County, Florida, were recruited from community activities, Latino health fairs, advertisements at community agencies, and online postings. A path analysis revealed associations between acculturative stress and more time in the US and greater commitment to ethnic identity. Marianismo gender role beliefs differentially related with acculturative stress. Quantity of alcohol use moderated the positive association between time in US and acculturative stress, such that women in the US for less time who drank more alcohol experienced higher levels of acculturative stress than their peers. Findings suggest quantity of alcohol use may exacerbate acculturative stress during some Latina young adult immigrants’ initial months in the US.

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Funding

This study was supported by National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NIMHD) Award P20MD002288. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA

    Melissa M. Ertl, Frank R. Dillon & Jessica L. Martin

  2. Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Rosa Babino & Mario De La Rosa

Authors
  1. Melissa M. Ertl
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  2. Frank R. Dillon
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  3. Jessica L. Martin
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  4. Rosa Babino
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  5. Mario De La Rosa
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Correspondence to Frank R. Dillon.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Ertl, M.M., Dillon, F.R., Martin, J.L. et al. Alcohol use Exacerbates Acculturative Stress Among Recently Immigrated, Young Adult Latinas. J Immigrant Minority Health 20, 594–602 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0586-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0586-4

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