Examination of the indirect effect of alcohol expectancies on ethnic identity and adolescent drinking outcomes

Although overall rates of alcohol use tend to be lower among racial/ethnic minority youth compared to White youth, consequences associated with use tend to be more severe. Identifying factors that prevent alcohol use is crucial to reducing its impact among minority adolescents. One such factor is ethnic identity, which involves gaining clarity about one's ethnic background and regard toward one's ethnic group. Strong ethnic identity has been found to work through antidrug beliefs to decrease minority youth's substance use. The current study extends previous literature by examining whether specific alcohol cognitions-alcohol expectancies' explain the promotive effect of ethnic identity on alcohol use and severity of alcohol use among minority youth. Participants were 113 ethnic minority youth ages 12-18 (M = 15.27). Most participants were male (66%) and identified as non-Hispanic African American/Black (70%), followed by Hispanic/ Latino (15%), multiracial (12%), and American Indian/Native American (3%). Participants completed self-report measures of ethnic identity, positive and negative alcohol expectancies, and hazardous drinking, which were analyzed in an indirect effects model. Results indicated that ethnic identity was inversely related to negative alcohol expectancies. A significant indirect effect of ethnic identity on severity of alcohol use through negative alcohol expectancies was found. However, no indirect effect was found for positive alcohol expectancies. Findings suggest that strong ethnic identity serves as a promotive factor preventing alcohol use for ethnic minority youth, in part through more negative alcohol expectancies, and may be a beneficial target for intervention programs to reduce alcohol use among this group.