Ethnocultural diversity in alcohol use and misuse

Abstract

Hazardous alcohol use is associated with deleterious health effects and social consequences, reduced work productivity, and increased medical and criminal justice expenditures. Research has consistently shown not only ethnic differences in prevalence rates of drinking behaviors and alcohol use disorders but also negative alcohol-related consequences and treatment-seeking patterns. Mainstream alcohol research has tended to focus on determinants and mechanisms that are common across ethnocultural groups; hence, there are tremendous opportunities to address issues that are especially pertinent to alcohol use and misuse in ethnic minority communities. Articles in this special issue present state-of-the-science investigations that address risk and protective factors associated with alcohol initiation, cognitions around alcohol use, high-risk behaviors, and drinking outcomes across segments of the U.S. population. Using generalizability, group differences, and multicultural approaches, as well as variable- and person-centered methods, these articles showcase a range of factors that warrant systematic examination. We encourage scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to consider culturally relevant factors and pathways across individual, social, and cultural levels and to develop a comprehensive understanding of alcohol use outcomes. These approaches have the translational potential to reduce ethnic disparities in alcohol use and misuse.