Longitudinal Effects of Acculturation on Alcohol Use Among Vietnamese and Cambodian Immigrant Families in the United States

Asian American;Vietnamese;Cambodian;alcohol use;acculturation;intergenerational cultural dissonance;trauma;immigration;adolescent health;depression;Epidemiology

Kane, Jeremy C.Jernigan, David ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: Asian American;    Vietnamese;    Cambodian;    alcohol use;    acculturation;    intergenerational cultural dissonance;    trauma;    immigration;    adolescent health;    depression;    Epidemiology;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/39525/KANE-DISSERTATION-2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Background: Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial population in the United States. Rates of alcohol use are increasing among several Asian nationalities, however, Asians are often treated as a singular group in research studies masking potential differences in alcohol use prevalence or risk factors. Two such risk factors are acculturation and intergenerational cultural dissonance (ICD). This dissertation aimed to investigate: 1) the longitudinal impact of acculturation on alcohol use among Vietnamese and Cambodian women in the U.S.; 2) the impact of ICD on alcohol use among their adolescents; and 3) whether the effect of ICD on alcohol use was mediated by adolescent depressive symptomatology. Methods: Data came from the Cross Cultural Families Project (CCF), a five-year longitudinal study of 327 Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families in Washington State. Data were collected annually from an adult caregiver in the family (all women) and an adolescent. Linear mixed effects models were estimated to establish the longitudinal relationship of acculturation and alcohol use among the adult caregivers. Multiple logistic regression models were estimated to assess the impact of ICD on depression and alcohol use among the adolescents.Results: Acculturation was not associated with alcohol use in the overall sample of adults, however, there were significant associations among a sub-sample of only those who reported any drinking. This suggests that acculturation did not impact alcohol use prevalence, but that it did impact the drinking pattern among those who consumed alcohol. Among alcohol consumers, higher degrees of biculturalism and traditional cultural identification were associated with lower levels of alcohol use, suggesting that retention of traditional Vietnamese and Cambodian culture is a protective factor for alcohol use problems. Among the adolescents, higher levels of ICD significantly predicted alcohol use, a relationship that was partially mediated by depression symptoms.Conclusions: Clinicians should be cognizant that aspects of cultural identification are important contributors to drinking patterns among alcohol consumers from Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant families. Family interventions should be targeted towards reducing conflicts caused by ICD and bicultural effectiveness training. Targeting ICD has the potential to reduce both alcohol use risk and depressive symptomatology among this population.