Overcoming Risk Factors: Family Influence on Alcohol Use among Mexican-Origin Adolescents in Arizona

Background and purpose: Alcohol and drug abuse are important health issues among Latinos in the United States, but consumption patterns vary among Latino subgroups, with the Mexican origin subgroup reporting higher frequency and quantity of alcohol use than other Latinos (Zamboanga, Raffaelli & Horton, 2006; Dawson, 1998). Family-related factors are potentially more relevant contributors to adolescent substance use for Latinos than for other ethnic groups (Gil, Vega, Biafora, 1998; Smith & Krohn; 1995; Warner et al., 2006). This study uses Resilience Theory to examine how familism, cohesion, and parent-adolescent conflict relate to alcohol use among Mexican-heritage adolescents living in Arizona. Resilience Theory proposes that a number of family factors help to develop competence among youth, and these competencies are needed to adequately respond to risk situations such as drug and alcohol use.

Method: The study utilized data from the Arizona Latino Acculturation and Health Project. The sample consists of 120 adolescents ages 14 -18 most of whom lived in families who had immigrated from Mexico. Key outcomes were lifetime and recent alcohol use, binge- drinking in the last 30 days, and intentions to use alcohol. Logistic regression analyses were employed to determine how family factors—familism, cohesion, adaptability and parent-child conflict—predicted alcohol outcomes controlling for gender, age, family structure, mother's education, and length of U.S. residence as a proxy for acculturation. Results: While family cohesion and adaptability surfaced as significant predictors of adolescents' alcohol use, familism was a weak and non-significant predictor of decreased likelihood of binge drinking. Parent-child conflict was a powerful and consistent predictor across all the alcohol outcomes. Adolescents' time in the U.S. was a significant predictor of higher odds of recent alcohol use and binge drinking. Gender differences also emerged, with higher odds of recent alcohol use and binge drinking for males than for females. Conclusions and Implications: the acculturation process is stressful and has the potential to erode the protective factors that immigrant families bring with them. Family discord may be especially distressing among Mexican families who hold traditional values that encourage strong family bonds. Alcohol misuse could then be utilized by youth as a mechanism to reduce emotional distress caused by family tensions. These findings are important in the context of counseling, and for social workers and psychologists working in schools and agencies that serve Latino families. The Latino community is growing rapidly and practitioners need to respond to this growth by increasing their understanding of the Latino culture's protective and risk factors so they can promote resilience among Latino families.