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Asian American adolescents' acculturation, binge drinking, and alcohol‐ and tobacco‐using peers
Author(s) -
Hahm Hyeouk C.,
Lahiff Maureen,
Guterman Neil B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20002
Subject(s) - acculturation , binge drinking , psychology , association (psychology) , alcohol , binge eating , peer group , environmental health , clinical psychology , injury prevention , medicine , poison control , developmental psychology , ethnic group , political science , eating disorders , biochemistry , chemistry , law , psychotherapist
This study examines the association between acculturation and subsequent binge drinking among Asian American adolescents and investigates the mediating effect of friends' alcohol and tobacco use. Data from a nationally representative sample of 714 Asian American adolescents in grades 7 to 12 were analyzed. There was no gender difference in terms of binge drinking. A higher level of acculturation was associated with higher levels of binge drinking. Friends' alcohol and tobacco use was a mediator—the association between acculturation and binge drinking was no longer significant after controlling for best friends' alcohol and tobacco use. These findings demonstrate that binge drinking is not attributable to acculturation per se, but that social interaction is an important pathway by which highly acculturated adolescents become vulnerable to binge drinking. Since highly acculturated Asian American adolescents are at risk for binge drinking, there is an urgent need for prevention. Incorporating the effect of peer influences will improve both prevention efforts and treatment for Asian American adolescents who are binge drinkers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 295–308, 2004.