Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:34:32.720Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Religiosity, race/ethnicity, and alcohol use behaviors in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2016

J. L. Meyers ,
Q. Brown ,
B. F. Grant  and
D. Hasin
J. L. Meyers*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Q. Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
B. F. Grant
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Epidemiology and Biometry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
D. Hasin
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: J. L. Meyers, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 1203, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Religiosity is a protective factor against many health problems, including alcohol use disorders (AUD). Studies suggest that religiosity has greater buffering effects on mental health problems among US Blacks and Hispanics than Whites. However, whether race/ethnic differences exist in the associations of religiosity, alcohol consumption and AUD is unclear.

Method

Using 2004–2005 NESARC data (analytic n = 21 965), we examined the relationship of public religiosity (i.e. frequency of service attendance, religious social group size), and intrinsic religiosity (i.e. importance of religious/spiritual beliefs) to frequency of alcohol use and DSM-IV AUD in non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks, Hispanics and NH Whites, and whether associations differed by self-identified race/ethnicity.

Results

Only public religiosity was related to AUD. Frequency of religious service attendance was inversely associated with AUD (NH Whites β: −0.103, p < 0.001; NH Blacks β: −0.115, p < 0.001; Hispanics β: −0.096, p < 0.001). This association was more robust for NH Blacks as compared with NH Whites and Hispanics (interaction β: 0.025, p < 0.001). Among NH Whites, higher intrinsic religiosity was inversely associated with alcohol use frequency (β: −0.143, p < 0.001). These effects were more robust among NH Whites (interaction (β: 0.072, p < 0.033) than for NH Blacks (β: −0.080, p > 0.05) or Hispanics (β: −0.002, p > 0.05).

Conclusions

US adults reporting greater public religiosity were at lower risk for AUD. Public religiosity may be particularly important among NH Blacks, while intrinsic religiosity may be particularly important among NH Whites, and among Hispanics who frequently attend religious services. Findings may be explained by variation in drinking-related norms observed among these groups generally, and in the context of specific religious institutions.

Keywords

Alcohol usealcohol use disorderNESARCracereligiosityspirituality
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 103 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abraído-Lanza, AF, Vasquez, E, Echeverría, SE (2004). En las manos de Dios [in God's hands]: religious and other forms of coping among Latinos with arthritis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 72, 91–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akaike, H (1976). Canonical correlation analysis of time series and the use of an information criterion. Mathematics in Science and Engineering 126, 27–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
APA (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn. American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Amoateng, AY, Bahr, SJ (1986). Religion, family, and adolescent drug use. Sociology Perspectives 29, 53–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amstadter, AB, Richardson, L, Acierno, R, Kilpatrick, DG, Gaboury, MT, Tran, T, Thach, TD. (2010). Does interviewer status matter? An examination of lay interviewers and medical doctor interviewers in an epidemiological study in Vietnam. International Perspectives in Victimology 5, 55.Google Scholar
Benjet, C, Borges, G, Méndez, E, Casanova, L, Medina-Mora, ME (2014). Adolescent alcohol use and alcohol use disorders in Mexico City. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 136, 43–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bentler, PM (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin 107, 238–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bock, E, Cochran, J, Beeghley, L (1987). Moral messages: the relative influence of denomination on the religiosity-alcohol relationship. Sociology Quarterly 28, 89–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonelli, RM, Koenig, HG (2013). Mental disorders, religion and spirituality 1990 to 2010: a systematic evidence-based review. Journal of Religion and Health 52, 657–673.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caetano, R, Clark, CL (1998 a). Trends in alcohol consumption patterns among whites, blacks and Hispanics: 1984 and 1995. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 59, 659–668.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caetano, R, Clark, CL (1998 b). Trends in alcohol-related problems among whites, blacks, and Hispanics: 1984–1995. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 22, 534–538.Google ScholarPubMed
Caetano, R, Clark, CL (1999). Trends in situational norms and attitudes toward drinking among whites, blacks, and hispanics: 1984–1995. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 54, 45–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Canino, G, Bravo, M, Ramirez, R, Febo, VE, Rubio-Stipec, M, Fernandez, RL, Hasin, D (1999). The Spanish Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS): reliability and concordance with clinical diagnoses in a Hispanic population. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 60, 790–799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey 2012, Vital Health Statistics. Series 10, Number 260, February 2014, Table 25; National data collected during 2001–2002.Google Scholar
Chatters, LM, Taylor, RJ, Bullard, KM, Jackson, JS (2008). Spirituality and subjective religiosity among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 47, 725–737.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chawla, N, Neighbors, C, Lewis, MA, Lee, CM, Larimer, ME (2007). Attitudes and perceived approval of drinking as mediators of the relationship between the importance of religion and alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 68, 410–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, L, Beeghley, L, Cochran, JK (1990). Religiosity, social class and alcohol use: an application of reference group theory. Sociological Perspectives 33, 201–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cook, JM, Pearson, JL, Thompson, R, Black, BS, Rabins, PV (2002). Suicidality in Older African Americans: findings from the EPOCH Study. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 10, 437–446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cosper, R, Okraku, I, Neumann, B (1987). Tavern going in Canada: a national survey of regulars at public drinking establishments. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 48, 252–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cottler, LB, Grant, BF, Blaine, J, Mavreas, V, Pull, C, Hasin, D, Compton, WM, Rubio-Stipec, M, Mager, D (1997). Concordance of DSM-IV alcohol and drug use disorder criteria and diagnoses as measured by AUDADIS-ADR, CIDI and SCAN. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 47, 195–205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davila, RD (1987). The history of Puerto Rican drinking patterns. In Alcohol Use Abuse Among Hispanic Adolescents (ed. Davison, L. & Yalin, F.), pp. 7–18. The Hispanic Health Council: Hartford.Google Scholar
Degenhardt, L, Chiu, WT, Sampson, N, Kessler, RC, Anthony, JC (2007). Epidemiological patterns of extra-medical drug use in the United States: evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, 2001–2003. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 90, 210–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dennis, DL, Cox, W, Black, A, Muller, S (2009). The influence of religiosity and spirituality on drinking behaviors: differences between students attending two southern universities. Journal of Drug Education 39, 95–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eaton, WW, Neufeld, K, Chen, LS, Cai, G (2000). A comparison of self-report and clinical diagnostic interviews for depression: diagnostic interview schedule and schedules for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry in the Baltimore epidemiologic catchment area follow-up. Archives of General Psychiatry 57, 217–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edlund, MJ , Harris, KM, Koenig, HG, Han, X, Sullivan, G, Mattox, R, Tang, L (2010). Religiosity and decreased risk of substance use disorders: is the effect mediated by social support or mental health status? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 45, 827–836.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ford, J, Kadushin, C (2002). Between sacral belief and moral community: a multidimensional approach to the relationship between religion and alcohol among Whites and Blacks. Sociological Forum 17, 255–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foster, DW, Quist, MC, Young, CM, Bryan, JL, Nguyen, M-L, Neighbors, C (2013). Benefit finding as a moderator of the relationship between spirituality/religiosity and drinking. Addictive Behaviors 38, 2647–2652.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Franzini, L, Ribble, JC, Wingfield, KA (2005). Religion, sociodemographic and personal characteristics, and self-reported health in whites, blacks, and Hispanics living in low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. Ethnicity & Disease 15, 469–484.Google ScholarPubMed
George, L, Ellison, C, Larson, D (2002). Explaining the relationship between religion and health. Psychological Inquiry 13, 190–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghandour, LA, Karam, EG, Maalouf, WE (2009). Lifetime alcohol use, abuse and dependence among university students in Lebanon: exploring the role of religiosity in different religious faiths. Addiction 104, 940–948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grant, BF, Harford, TC, Dawson, DA, Chou, PS, Pickering, RP (1995). The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview schedule (AUDADIS): reliability of alcohol and drug modules in a general population sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 39, 37–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, BF, Dawson, DA, Stinson, FS, Chou, PS, Kay, W, Pickering, R (2003). The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-IV (AUDADIS-IV): reliability of alcohol consumption, tobacco use, family history of depression and psychiatric diagnostic modules in a general population sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 71, 7–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, BF, Stinson, FS, Dawson, DA, Chou, SP, Ruan, WJ, Pickering, RP (2004). Co-occurrence of 12-month alcohol and drug use disorders and personality disorders in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Archives of General Psychiatry 61, 361–368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grant, BF, Goldstein, RB, Chou, SP, Huang, B, Stinson, FS, Dawson, DA, Saha, TD, Smith, SM, Pulay, AJ, Pickering, RP, Ruan, WJ, Compton, WM (2009). Sociodemographic and psychopathologic predictors of first incidence of DSM-IV substance use, mood and anxiety disorders: results from the Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Molecular Psychiatry 14, 1051–1066.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harwood, EM, Bernat, DH, Lenk, KM, Vázquez, MJ, Wagenaar, AC (2004). Public opinion in Puerto Rico on alcohol control policies. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Science 26, 426–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hasin, D, Paykin, A (1999). Alcohol dependence and abuse diagnoses: concurrent validity in a nationally representative sample. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research 23, 144–150.Google Scholar
Hasin, DS, Muthuen, B, Wisnicki, KS, Grant, B (1994). Validity of the bi-axial dependence concept: a test in the US general population. Addiction (Abingdon, England) 89, 573–579.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasin, DS, Van Rossem, R, McCloud, S, Endicott, J (1997). Differentiating DSM-IV alcohol dependence and abuse by course: community heavy drinkers. Journal of Substance Abuse 9, 127–135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hasin, DS, Stinson, FS, Ogburn, E, Grant, BF (2007). Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Archives of General Psychiatry 64, 830–842.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herd, D (1988). Drinking by black and white women: results from a national survey. Social Problems 35, 493–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herd, D, Grube, J (1993). Drinking contexts and drinking problems among black and white women. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 32, 25–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herd, D, Grube, J (1996). Black identity and drinking in the US: a national study. Addiction 91, 845–857.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holt, CL, Roth, DL, Huang, J, Clark, EM (2015). Gender differences in the roles of religion and locus of control on alcohol use and smoking among African Americans. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 76, 482–492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jackson, KM, Sher, KJ, Schulenberg, JE (2008). Conjoint developmental trajectories of young adult substance use. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research 32, 723–737.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jeynes, WH (n.d.). Adolescent Religious Commitment and Their Consumption of Marijuana, Cocaine, and Alcohol.Google Scholar
Keyes, KM, Li, G, Hasin, DS (2011). Birth cohort effects and gender differences in alcohol epidemiology: a review and synthesis. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 35, 2101–2112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kidwai, R, Mancha, BE, Brown, QL, Eaton, WW (2014). The effect of spirituality and religious attendance on the relationship between psychological distress and negative life events. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 49, 487–497.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koenig, HG, Larson, DB, Larson, SS (2001 a). Religion and coping with serious medical illness. Annals of Pharmacotherapy 35, 352–359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koenig, HG, McCullough, ME, Larson, DB (2001 b). Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford University Press: New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levin, JS, Markides, KS, Ray, LA (1996). Religious attendance and psychological well-being in Mexican Americans: a panel analysis of three-generations data. The Gerontologist 36, 454–463.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lo, CC, Tenorio, KA, Cheng, TC (2012). Racial differences in co-occurring substance use and serious psychological distress: the roles of marriage and religiosity. Substance Use & Misuse 47, 734–744.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCullough, ME, Larson, DB (1999). Religion and depression: a review of the literature. Twin Research 2, 126–136.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Michalak, L, Trocki, K, Bond, J (2007). Religion and alcohol in the U.S. National Alcohol Survey: how important is religion for abstention and drinking? Drug and Alcohol Dependence 87, 268–280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Midanik, L, Clark, W (1994). The demographic distribution of US drinking patterns in 1990: description and trends from 1984. American Journal of Public Health 84, 1218–1222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, L, Davies, M, Greenwald, S (2000). Religiosity and substance use and abuse among adolescents in the National Comorbidity Survey. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 39, 1190–1197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miltiades, HB, Pruchno, R (2002). The effect of religious coping on caregiving appraisals of mothers of adults with developmental disabilities. Gerontologist 42, 82–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moak, ZB, Agrawal, A (2010). The association between perceived interpersonal social support and physical and mental health: results from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Public Health (Oxford, England) 32, 191–201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moreira-Almeida, A, Koenig, HG, Lucchetti, G (2014). Clinical implications of spirituality to mental health: review of evidence and practical guidelines. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria 36, 176–182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moscati, A, Mezuk, B (2014). Losing faith and finding religion: religiosity over the life course and substance use and abuse. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 136, 127–134.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mukku, VK, Benson, TG, Alam, F, Richie, WD, Bailey, RK (2012). Overview of substance use disorders and incarceration of African American males. Frontiers in Psychiatry 3, 98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mulia, N, Ye, Y, Greenfield, TK, Zemore, SE (2009). Disparities in alcohol-related problems among white, black, and Hispanic Americans. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research 33, 654–662.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muthén, LK, Muthén, BO (1998–2015). Mplus User's Guide.Google Scholar
Nasim, A, Utsey, SO, Corona, R, Belgrade, FZ (2006). Religiosity, refusal efficacy, and substance use among African-American adolescents and young adults. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 5, 29–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patock-Peckham, JA, Hutchinson, GT, Cheong, J, Nagoshi, CT (1998). Effect of religion and religiosity on alcohol use in a college student sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 49, 81–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perez, RL (2000). Fiesta as tradition, fiesta as change: ritual, alcohol and violence in a Mexican community. Addiction 95, 365–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, K, Pietrzak, RH, El-Gabalawy, R, Mackenzie, CS, Sareen, J (2015). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in U.S. older adults: findings from a nationally representative survey. World Psychiatry 14, 74–81.Google ScholarPubMed
Ríos-Bedoya, CF, Freile-Salinas, D (2014). Incidence of alcohol use disorders among Hispanic subgroups in the USA. Alcohol & Alcoholism 49, 549–556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, JA, Bolton, JM, Rasic, D, Sareen, J (2012). Exploring the relationship between religious service attendance, mental disorders, and suicidality among different ethnic groups: results from a nationally representative survey. Depression and Anxiety 29, 983–990.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruan, WJ, Goldstein, RB, Chou, SP, Smith, SM, Saha, TD, Pickering, RP, Dawson, DA, Huang, B, Stinson, FS, Grant, BF (2008). The alcohol use disorder and associated disabilities interview schedule-IV (AUDADIS-IV): reliability of new psychiatric diagnostic modules and risk factors in a general population sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 92, 27–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seybold, KS, Hill, PC (2001). The role of religion and spirituality in mental and physical health. Current Directions in Psychological Science 10, 21–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sternthal, MJ, Williams, DR, Musick, MA, Buck, AC (2012). Religious practices, beliefs, and mental health: variations across ethnicity. Ethnicity & Health 17, 171–185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stockdale, SE, Wells, KB, Tang, L, Belin, TR, Zhang, L, Sherbourne, CD (2007). The importance of social context: neighborhood stressors, stress-buffering mechanisms, and alcohol, drug, and mental health disorders. Social Science & Medicine 65, 1867–1881.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stolzenberg, R, Blair-Loy, M, Waite, L (1995). Religious participation in early adulthood: age and family life cycle effects on church membership. American Sociological Review 60, 84–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2013). Hispanic Subgroups Differ in Rates of Substance Use Treatment Need and Receipt. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Report, 24 October 2013. (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/spot128-hispanic-treatment-2013/spot128-hispanic-treatment-2013.pdf).Google Scholar
Sukhwal, M, Suman, LN (2013). Spirituality, religiosity and alcohol related beliefs among college students. Asian Journal of Psychiatry 6, 66–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, RJ, Chatters, LM, Bullard, KM, Wallace, JM, Jackson, JS (2009). Organizational religious behavior among older African Americans: findings from the national survey of American life. Research on Aging 31, 440–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trinkoff, AM, Zhou, Q, Storr, CL, Soeken, KL (2000). Workplace access, negative proscriptions, job strain, and substance use in registered nurses. Nursing Research 49, 83–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, LR, Lewis, C (1973). A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika 38, 1–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vrasti, R, Grant, BF, Chatterji, S, Ustün, BT, Mager, D, Olteanu, I, Badoi, M (1998). Reliability of the Romanian version of the alcohol module of the WHO alcohol use disorder and associated disabilities: interview schedule – alcohol/drug-revised. European Addiction Research 4, 144–149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wallace, JM, Delva, J, O'Malley, PM, Bachman, JG, Schulenberg, JE, Johnston, LD, Stewart, C (2007). Race/ethnicity, religiosity and adolescent alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use. Social Work in Public Health 23, 193–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zapolski, TCB, Pedersen, SL, McCarthy, DM, Smith, GT (2014). Less drinking, yet more problems: understanding African American drinking and related problems. Psychological Bulletin 140, 188–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zemore, SE, Ye, Y, Mulia, N, Martinez, P, Jones-Webb, R, Karriker-Jaffe, K (2016). Poor, persecuted, young, and alone: toward explaining the elevated risk of alcohol problems among Black and Latino men who drink. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 163, 31–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Meyers supplementary material

Tables S1-S5

Download Meyers supplementary material(File)
File 305.7 KB