Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Vol 39(7), Nov 2025, 607-619; doi:10.1037/adb0001094
Objective: Previous research with U.S. Hispanic college students tends to find that higher levels of acculturation are associated with elevated alcohol use and that these effects are likely to be stronger for women than men. It is now important to consider the extent to which these associations remain once theoretically proximal predictors of alcohol use (e.g., drinking motives) are accounted for in multivariate models. Thus, we examined how multiple domains of acculturation were associated with alcohol use, high intensity drinking, and negative alcohol consequences, and whether direct associations and potential gender moderation of these relationships remained after drinking motives were included in the model. Method: Hispanic undergraduates from 12 universities who reported current alcohol use (n = 1,131; Mage = 20.47, SD = 1.85, range = 18–25) completed self-report questionnaires online. Results: After accounting for demographic variables and drinking motives, U.S. cultural practices were negatively associated with alcohol use, and ethnic identity was negatively associated with high intensity drinking. Heritage cultural practices were positively associated with high intensity drinking among women only. Finally, enhancement motives were positively associated with alcohol use and high intensity drinking, while social and coping-depression motives were positively related to negative alcohol consequences, even after accounting for demographic variables and multiple acculturation domains. Conclusions: The present findings paint a nuanced picture of the effects of ethnic identity and engagement with cultural practices on drinking behaviors, particularly among Hispanic college women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)