Graduation Year

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Granting Department

Criminology

Major Professor

Tom Mieczkowski, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Christopher Sullivan, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Shayne Jones, Ph.D.

Keywords

Alcohol, Race, Stress, Heavy drinking, Consumption, Interaction

Abstract

The study of racial differences in the consumption of alcohol and the prevalence of alcohol-related problems has clearly matured in recent years. Researchers have moved away from single-factor explanations and are beginning to develop and test theories focusing on the complex interplay of psychological, historical, cultural, and social factors that describe and explain alcohol use among racial and ethnic subgroups in the United States. The current study continues this maturation process by further examining the complex interaction effects of predictor variables that have established their utility in explaining racial/ethnic subgroup differences in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. This study analyzes data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative sample of people 18 and older (n = 43,093), using OLS regression with the inclusion of interaction terms. The NESARC is a representative sample which provides ample coverage of the relevant subgroups (e.g. citizens and noncitizens). This study also looks at the impact of social and economic stressors on alcohol use.

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