Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, defined as the perception of being unfairly treated due to one’s racial or ethnic background, is a well-established social determinant of health and has been closely associated with increased alcohol use, particularly among populations from racially/ethnically minoritized groups, including college students. In addition, anxiety sensitivity, which refers to the fear of aversive internal sensations related to anxiety, has consistently been linked to hazardous drinking behaviors, increased alcohol cravings, and alcohol-related problems. Despite evidence suggesting that both perceived discrimination and anxiety sensitivity independently contribute to problematic alcohol use, little is known about their combined or interactive effects, particularly among minoritized college students. Addressing this gap, the present study aims to examine the association of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and anxiety sensitivity with alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and coping motives for drinking.
The study analyzed data from 734 college students attending a large, federally designated as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) in the southwestern U.S. Participants included individuals who self-identified as members of a racial/ethnic minority group, reported alcohol use within the past 30 days, and provided complete responses on the variables of interest. Data were collected through self-report surveys administered between September 2019 and May 2021, following online recruitment. Measures included the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire (PEDQ), the Short Scale Anxiety Sensitivity Index (SASSI), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the Drinking Motives Questionnaire – Revised Short Form (DMQ-R) to assess coping motives for drinking. Covariates included perceived physical and mental health assessed via the SF-12, along with demographic variables. Data analysis involved three separate three-step hierarchical regression analyses, with alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and coping motives for drinking as the dependent variables.
The results indicated that perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and anxiety sensitivity were significantly and positively correlated with each other, and both were negatively associated with perceived mental and physical health. Additionally, both variables were significantly related to alcohol-related problems and coping motives for drinking, but not meaningfully associated with alcohol consumption. In analyses examining mean differences by age and race/ethnicity, participants aged 18–25 reported higher levels of anxiety sensitivity, and Black participants reported significantly higher levels of perceived discrimination compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that both perceived discrimination and anxiety sensitivity independently predicted alcohol-related problems and coping motives for drinking, but neither was a significant predictor of alcohol consumption. Moreover, the interaction between perceived discrimination and anxiety sensitivity was not statistically significant for any of the three alcohol-related outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest that perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and anxiety sensitivity each independently contribute to certain alcohol-related issues, but they do not appear to exert synergistic effects on these outcomes.
Takeaway: Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and anxiety sensitivity independently contribute to alcohol-related problems and coping motives for drinking among racially/ethnically minoritized college students, highlighting the importance of integrating social and psychological factors in understanding these issues.