Research has shown differential alcohol-related social and health effects across U.S. racial/ethnic groups. The relationship of race/ethnicity to alcohol-related harms is attributed, in part to differences in patterns of drinking. For example, while some groups have higher rates of alcohol consumption, a risk factor for drinking-related harms, others experience harms from drinking despite having similar or lower rates of consumption (Mulia et al., 2009; Witbrodt et al., 2014).
Data Availability
As the United States is confronting pervasive issues of racism and injustice, our treatment facility considers this time to be a teachable moment. 3% of Hispanic Americans have an illicit drug use disorder (the same rate as that among the total population). The U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates that there are 60 million people of Hispanic origin living in the United States, comprising 18.3% of the total population. Since Latino and Hispanic populations are projected to continue to grow, there is a true need for more rehab options that are focused on those populations and friendly to their cultures.
- Black Americans are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and incarcerated for drug-related crimes than white Americans, despite having similar rates of illicit drug use.
- Medical professionals may be better off screening more at-risk populations, targeting areas with more Mexican Americans or Puerto Ricans.
- When new codes emerged, the coding scheme was updated, and transcripts were re-read and re-coded.
- These general categories introduce limitations since ethnicity encompasses a complex combination of factors including birthplace, national origin, language, tribe, and ancestry; any of which may have distinct associations with patterns of drinking and alcohol-related outcomes.
4. Perceived Control over Specialty Treatment
For instance, women who chose to complete a survey in English were twice as likely to drink alcohol than those who opted for the Spanish version. Hispanics tend to utilize mental health services less, too, and leave recovery and aftercare more often before the services end. Cuban Americans have the lowest alcohol abuse rates among all studied Hispanic counterparts, and compared to non-Hispanic whites, they’re half as likely to develop problems drinking. Assimilation, sex, age, and education as well as a person’s culture of origin all factor into the likelihood of substance use disorder.
With regard to Hispanics, Zemore et al. (2009) reported a rate of lifetime utilization among individuals with a lifetime AUD of 19.2%, but most included utilization of self-help groups and not specialty treatment. Hispanics who were less acculturated were less likely to use treatment than those highly acculturated. The screener survey was programed via Qualtrics software in English and Spanish, was self-administered online, and took approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Substance Abuse And Addiction Rates Among People Of Color
- In the Carroll et al. (2009) study that was comprised of Hispanic adults (all Spanish-speaking), alcohol was the primary substance used by 60% of the participants.
- People of all racial and ethnic backgrounds may share common risk factors, such as a family history of substance abuse, co-occurring mental illness, and early exposure to drugs and alcohol.
- Two high-risk consumption patterns that contribute to alcohol-related problems include binge and heavy drinking (Naimi et al., 2003; Rehm et al., 2003).
- Psychometric research highlighted systematic error in measurement when examining the effect of various treatments among racial and ethnic minorities.
- Disparities in treatment utilization are particularly pronounced between Latinos and Whites.
Acculturation, or the process of integrating into a new culture, significantly impacts the drinking habits of Hispanic Americans. As acculturation levels rise, such as through speaking English and receiving an American education, drinking hispanic alcoholism and rehab rates levels tend to increase. This is particularly evident among women, who tend to consume more alcohol as they become more acculturated.
Drinking patterns among Latinos are similar across cultural backgrounds
Income levels, education, employment status, community resources, and cultural norms can all impact drinking patterns. For example, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may experience higher stress levels, leading to increased alcohol consumption as a coping mechanism. Continued research aimed at improving our understanding of substance use and related conditions and effective treatments for Hispanic populations should consider cultural and historical experiences of different groups and how patient characteristics influence utilization of services. Certainly, substance use treatment may be improved for Hispanic individuals through the development of culturally-tailored treatment programs. First, limiting this review to the CTN resulted in a small number of studies, potentially excluding other studies relevant to Hispanic populations in substance abuse treatment. Second, although important information has been gained through CTN research on Hispanic populations, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions because many of the findings reported were based on a single study.
Although Hispanic Americans are often studied as a single population, there are important differences in the rates of substance abuse among different Hispanic subgroups. Women are drinking more often, and greater amounts, it should be noted, so that gap is shrinking. Men still are in the lead in terms of alcohol use, but women throughout the Americas tend to have more alcohol use disorders compared to the rest of the world. While entering an inpatient or residential treatment setting for substance abuse can be critical for immediate stabilization, healing from addiction is not a quick process. Pacific Islanders are often grouped together with Asian Americans, but when the two groups are separated, Pacific Islanders show a higher rate of substance abuse than white Americans, according to one study.
This finding suggests that novel ways of delivering specialty substance abuse treatment that are less conspicuous may increase utilization, such as integrating services with primary care services. Another strategy may include providing services via the web to decrease fears of being seen in treatment. Several studies suggest that web-based treatment may be effective in treating alcohol and drug problems (Copeland & Martin, 2004; Kypri, Langley et al., 2008; Riper et al., 2014). Web-based treatment also has the advantage of expanding access and reducing logistical barriers (e.g., transportation, long wait times, etc.) among treatment-seekers.
Despite lower rates of substance abuse and addiction, there are several obstacles Asian Americans who do seek treatment might face within a treatment setting. Limited access to culturally competent treatment services, as well as economic and geographic barriers, are believed to contribute to poorer treatment outcomes. Native American communities experience some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse among all racial groups, despite making up a small portion of the population.
While people may not always be responsive to speaking to a therapist one-on-one, family therapy can be an effective tool simply because family is at the center of many Latino cultures. Demographics could shift in the years to come, too, as more Dominicans, Guatemalans, and Venezuelans enter the United States, outpacing Mexican immigration. Twenty-six percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2016 were among Hispanic and Latino populations. Some researchers believe that Hispanic youth who better assimilate into the dominant surrounding culture are more likely to drink or use drugs. Whether Hispanic-Latino teens are especially at risk for addiction, there’s no clear-cut answer. Latino generally refers to most anyone born in Latin America or with ancestors from there.
In the NESARC Wave 1 and NESARC III, the Asian American and Pacific Islander categories were combined; daily intake refers to average daily ethanol intake, one fluid ounce is equivalent to approximately 23.3 g of ethanol. Figures in parentheses are standard errors of estimates; heavy episodic drinking was defined as the consumption of 5+ drinks (men)/4+ drinks (women) of any alcoholic beverage once or more per month. Expectations imposed by this stereotype may also affect Asian Americans’ likelihood of seeking treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues.
Links to NCBI Databases
Further, more research is needed to examine acculturation levels and potential mediators (e.g., acculturative stress) and at-risk drinking for Hispanic/Latina women. Overall, these findings underlie the importance of tailoring research and intervention programs to examine socio-economic and sex-specific factors contributing to alcohol use among Hispanics/Latinos. Among adolescent opiate users in treatment, Walker et al. (2014) found that Hispanic participants reported an average age of first use of 13.5 years and daily use at 14.2 years, with a majority (74%) reporting a previous overdose. Results identified issues in measurement, characteristics of Hispanic substance use, effective interventions, and gaps for future research. Characteristics that interfere with treatment participation were also identified including low employment rates, less likelihood of having insurance, lower rates of internet access, and increased travel time to services, as were treatment issues such as high rates of alcohol and tobacco use.
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