Cultural Correlates of DUI Risk Perceptions Among Documented and Undocumented Latino Immigrants in South Florida

BACKGROUND: Latinos are more likely to be involved in alcohol-related crashes and are at an increased risk for injury and death from alcohol-related crashes. Yet, reasons for this overrepresentation remain unclear, as rates of drinking and driving among Latinos are not higher than other ethnic/racial group. These disparities have been linked to various factors including failure on the part of Latino immigrants in recognizing the impairing effects of alcohol on driving psychomotor abilities and low risk perceptions of being caught or prosecuted by law enforcement for DUI (driving under the influence). Recent Latino immigrants — undocumented in particular— may be at higher risk for DUI involvement. This could stem from misunderstanding risks associated with drinking and driving as a result of cultural norms from their countries of origin, including lax enforcement of DUI laws. However, little known about the role that cultural factors play in shaping drinking and driving risk perceptions among recent Latino immigrants. The present study examines pre to post-immigration DUI risk perceptions/behaviors among documented and undocumented recent Latino immigrants as well as the cultural factors associated with these behaviors.

METHODS:  Funded by the NIAAA, this novel investigation takes advantage of a 5-year longitudinal study that documented changes in pre- and post- immigration alcohol use behaviors of recent Latino immigrants and examined underlying sociocultural determinants contributing to those trajectories. The present study consists on an extended follow-up administered on 467 Latino participants from the original parent study ages 21-38 that have been in the United States for less than 5-6 years. The sample consisted primarily of Cuban (43%), South American (28%), and Central American (29%) immigrants—a growing segment of the US Latino immigrant population and representative of the diversity of Latinos in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Approximately 84% of participants were documented immigrants while 16% were undocumented.

RESULTS:  Preliminary data analyses indicated that before coming to the U.S., the rates of DUI were similar among documented and undocumented immigrants.  After immigration, the amount of driving significantly increased among documented immigrants, while remaining very limited among participants with undocumented legal status. At post-immigration, undocumented immigrants had higher rates of alcohol misuse, were less likely to have knowledge of state DUI laws, wear a safety belt, or use a designated driver than their documented counterparts.  Various sociocultural risk (i.e., acculturative stress) and protective factors (i.e., familismo, religious coping) were also associated with DUI risk behaviors/perceptions.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The present study sheds light on how cultural risk and protective factors influence DUI risk behaviors/perceptions among recent Latino immigrants. It serves as an initial step in the future development of programs that incorporate cultural determinants found to predict and prevent the over-involvement of Latinos in alcohol-related car crashes. Results also contribute to the limited knowledge of drinking and driving among Latino immigrants early in the immigration process and suggests a need for greater attention to cultural factors in developing DUI prevention programs tailored towards Latino immigrants.