Religious, cultural and social cognitive correlates of alcohol use among Turks and Moroccans in The Netherlands

Abstract

This study examined religious, cultural and social cognitive predictors of alcohol use among second-generation Turks and Moroccans in The Netherlands. Data were obtained from an experimental study in which 189 Turks and 166 Moroccans responded to a mailed questionnaire and 111 Turks and 116 Moroccans responded to a face-to-face interview. Logistic and linear regression models examined religious, cultural and social cognitive correlates of alcohol use, adjusting for data collection mode and relevant sociodemographic factors. Additional regression models examined interaction effects with ethnicity. Both religious (practising Islam and having traditional religious beliefs) and cultural factors (not feeling accepted in Dutch society) were related to drinking. However, data seem to indicate that social cognitive factors i.e. the influence of family members and Turkish/Moroccan friends (both their drinking behaviour and their opinions about alcohol use) and alcohol expectancies were more important in predicting alcohol use among second-generation Turks and Moroccans.