Asian American (AA) young adults display lower overall alcohol use prevalence compared to other racial/ethnic groups; however, elevated consumption is observed within this population in specific contexts, particularly on college campuses where exposure to and immersion in mainstream drinking norms can reinforce drinking attitudes and behaviors. Acculturation, encompassing changes in cultural practices, peer relationships, and identity, has been identified as a key sociocultural risk factor for increased alcohol use among AAs. Additionally, drinking motives serve as proximal predictors closely linked to specific drinking patterns and negative consequences, with AA college students reporting higher coping motives than other groups. However, research examining how specific acculturation domains and drinking motives jointly relate to alcohol outcomes in multivariate models remains limited. To fill this gap, the present study aims to examine (1) how specific acculturation domains relate to alcohol use, high-intensity drinking, and negative alcohol consequences, (2) how acculturation effects change in multivariate models including drinking motives, and (3) how drinking motives associate with these alcohol outcomes.
This study surveyed a total of 243 undergraduate students who self-identified as Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander and reported current alcohol use from 12 colleges/universities around the U.S. Survey measures included acculturation domains assessed by the Brief Acculturation Scale for Mexican Americans-II (modified for AA populations), drinking motives assessed by the Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (measuring five domains: social, enhancement, conformity, coping-depression, and coping-anxiety), alcohol use and high-intensity drinking measured by the AUDIT-C, and negative alcohol consequences assessed by the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ). Regression analyses were conducted to examine associations with alcohol use, high-intensity drinking, and negative alcohol consequences using outcome-appropriate models.
Fraternity/sorority membership and enhancement motives were positively associated with alcohol use, while heritage cultural practices were negatively associated with alcohol use. Notably, the gender effect emerged only after controlling for drinking motives, with men demonstrating higher alcohol consumption. Regarding high-intensity drinking, athletic involvement increased the odds by 206%, and American identity increased the odds by 80%; however, the effect of American identity became non-significant after including drinking motives. For negative alcohol consequences, heritage cultural practices and U.S. birthplace predicted greater consequences, whereas athletic involvement predicted fewer consequences. These patterns persisted after controlling for drinking motives. Additionally, social motives and depression-coping motives were positively associated with negative alcohol consequences.
Takeaway: Heritage cultural practices demonstrated a protective effect against alcohol use but were paradoxically associated with greater negative alcohol consequences among Asian American college students, highlighting the complex role of this acculturation domain in drinking outcomes.