Association of acculturation with drinking games among Hispanic college students

Abstract

Hispanic and US cultural practices, values, and identifications were differentially associated with drinking games participation, and these associations differed by gender. It is therefore essential for college student alcohol research to examine US culture acquisition and Hispanic culture retention separately and within the domains of cultural practices, values, and identifications.

Neighborhood Effects on Hispanic Young Adult Outcomes

“…Acculturation is the process in which the individual confronts, adapts to, and modifies their identity and affiliation in the face of dominant social and cultural values which vary from their cultural heritage (Lee & Hahm, 2009;Schwartz et al, 2014). This process involves a transition during which individuals come to identify themselves within their new cultural setting while simultaneously bringing values of their culture of origin.…”

“…Hispanic social and cultural values generally differ from those of the United States (US), particularly with regards to familial emphasis, or "familismo" (Ayón, Marsiglia, & Bernudez-Parsai, 2010). Latin-American culture places an emphasis on collectivism, whereas US culture generally promotes individual independence (Schwartz et al, 2014). In collectivist cultures, the self is perceived as being integrated with the identities of other individuals; however, in the US the "self" is typically thought of as an autonomous, separate entity NEIGHBORHOOD EFFECTS ON HISPANIC YOUNG ADULT OUTCOMES 518 (Gilovich, Keltner, & Nisbett, 2011).…”

“…The process of confrontation, adaptation, and modification to one's identity and affiliation with social and cultural values disparate from one's cultural heritage (Lee & Hahm, 2009;Schwartz et al, 2014) cannot be summed in a single measurement of language. Future examinations of acculturation status would benefit from considering multiple elements of this process, such as generational status, timing of immigration, affiliation with Latino cultural values, nativity of adolescent, and parental nativity and language.…”

What’s in a game? Future directions for the assessment and treatment of drinking games

“…In particular, there is a critical need for research that goes beyond simplistic ethnic group classification and instead examines more nuanced dimensions of ethnicity. The paper in this issue by Schwartz and colleagues (35) offers an excellent example of research that does just this. By examining the multidimensional cultural correlates of drinking game practices, these researchers were able to identify some of the ways in which Hispanic students may be at risk for game playing and related heavy consumption, and also identify important gender differences in this risk.…”

“…As drinking games most typically are played in social settings, one psychological construct that is a natural candidate for study is social anxiety. Prior work (7,8,35) has shown social anxiety to protect against drinking game participation. In their study in this issue, Kenney and colleagues (38) build on this work by considering whether drinking games result in greater consequences for those with social anxiety who do play these games, and the role of selfefficacy in this association.…”