Alcohol Use Severity Among Hispanic Emerging Adult College Students: Examining Acculturation Stress, Self-Esteem, and Resilience in a Stress and Coping Framework.

Research on acculturation stress and its effects on alcohol-related outcomes among Hispanics has been the subject of many studies. However, these studies are limited because they generally use a single measure of acculturation stress to account for this complex construct, and most studies do not examine demographic factors or coping resources that may moderate the link between acculturation stress and alcohol-related outcomes. Our study examined two distinct components of acculturation stress-the pressure to acculturate and the pressure against acculturation-and their respective associations with alcohol use severity and the extent to which nativity status, self-esteem, and resilience moderate those associations. Participants were obtained from a convenience sample of 628 Hispanic emerging adult college students (aged 18-25 years) who completed a cross-sectional online survey. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses. Results indicated that pressure to acculturate was not associated with alcohol use severity; however, higher levels of pressure against acculturation were associated with greater alcohol use severity. Moderation analyses indicated that nativity status, self-esteem, and resilience functioned as moderators. Our findings suggest that this line of research warrants a more nuanced approach to understand whether and how the components of acculturation stress are associated with alcohol use severity. Nativity status is likely an important variable when considering these components and their respective associations with alcohol use. Self-esteem and resilience may be relevant coping resources that help mitigate the harmful link between acculturation stress and alcohol use.