non-Hispanic College Students Research Articles

Collegiate Binge Drinking and Social Media Use Among Hispanics and Non-Hispanics

College students' reliance on social media is both a risk factor for alcohol-related problems and a possible avenue for intervention. Greater understanding of students' social media habits in relation to drinking may lead to more effective prevention efforts. This study examined the use of alcohol and social media in Hispanic and non-Hispanic college students with and without a history of binge drinking. Participants (N = 424; age 18-25; 84% female) completed online surveys of alcohol use, intensity of use for Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, social media addiction, and retrospective frequency of social media use while drinking and after intoxication. Historical binge drinkers had greater intensity scores for Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, and were more likely to report using social media and alcohol concurrently, even while intoxicated (ps < .05). Compared with Hispanics, non-Hispanics exhibited greater intensity of use for Instagram (ps = .001). Quantity and frequency of alcohol use was positively correlated with intensity scores for Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter (ps < .001), as well as social media addiction (p < .001), and use of social media while drinking and after intoxication (ps < .001). Age at first alcohol use and first intoxication were negatively correlated with use of social media while drinking and after intoxication (ps < .001). The results of this study may inform intervention efforts aimed at curbing hazardous college drinking by highlighting a context in which students could be exposed to harm-reduction messages presented through social media.

Binge-Drinking Attitudes and Behaviors Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic College Students

This study explores binge-drinking behaviors and attitudes among Hispanic and non-Hispanic college students. The authors surveyed students at the same large Hispanic-serving university used in a 1999 study by Bennett et al., partially replicating that earlier research. While the percentage of students who reported binge drinking in the present study did not differ significantly by ethnicity, Hispanic students showed the most dramatic decrease in binge-drinking behavior since the 1990s study. Perhaps not coincidentally, during the years between studies, the university’s substance-abuse prevention office increased its outreach and awareness programs; university policies concerning alcohol use became more stringent and more publicly promoted; and Hispanics became the largest segment of the school’s undergraduate population. At the same time, despite these contextual changes, Hispanic students in the present study were less likely than other groups to disagree with the statement “binge drinking is part of my race/culture,” while non-Hispanic White students were less likely to disagree with the statement “no one ever died as a result of binge drinking.” Recommendations for binge-drinking education and prevention campaigns explicitly targeting Hispanic students and other risk groups (students living on campus; students from rural areas) are discussed.

Music as a mediator between ethnicity and substance use among college students

ABSTRACTThe current study examined the relationship between substance use references contained in music lyrics and videos and the attitudes and behaviors regarding substance use of White non-Hispanic, African American, and Hispanic emerging adults from a cultivation and social norms framework by assessing 425 male and female college students. It was hypothesized that there would be ethnic variations in perceived harm from substance use and reported recent substance use and that exposure to substance use references contained in music could mediate this relationship. Results confirmed ethnic differences in perceived risk associated with substance use as well as reported substance use with White non-Hispanic college students reporting the least perceived risk and the most substance use. African American college students reported the most perceived risk associated with substance use and the least amount of reported substance use. Results of the Test of Joint Significance confirmed the mediational model in that participant ethnicity was associated with exposure to substance use references in music lyrics and music videos. Substance use references in music lyrics, then, was able to predict actual reported substance use of participants but not perceived risk associated with substance use.

Protective Behavioral Strategies, Alcohol Consumption, and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences: Do Race and Gender Moderate these Associations?

White, non-Hispanic college students tend to drink more alcohol and experience more negative consequences than African American college students. However, racial differences have not been examined for protective behavioral strategies. This study examined whether race and gender moderated the associations that protective behavioral strategies had with alcohol consumption and negative alcohol-related consequences. In general, the use of protective behavioral strategies were associated with greater deceases in consumption, harmful drinking, and negative consequences for White, non-Hispanic students than African American students, which suggests important racial differences related to protective strategy use. Research and clinical implications are provided.

U.S. College Students’ Internet Use: Race, Gender and Digital Divides

The goal of this study was to learn about whether race and gender make a difference in Internet use among U.S. college students. A survey of college students at 40 U.S. higher education institutions was conducted, along with observations and interviews at several Midwestern U.S. universities. For comparison to the general U.S. population a nationwide telephone survey was undertaken. The study presents new data on Internet use among male and female college students, as well as trends in use across racial lines. Data on non-White Hispanic college student users of the Internet provides insight into Internet use among a group that appears to be underrepresented in the literature on college students and Internet use. The data analysis presents a complex picture of differential Internet use along gender lines, one that is generally consistent with the existing scholarly literature. Differential use based on race is a bit more complex. Stronger points of contrast emerge amongst White non-Hispanic, Hispanic, and Black non-Hispanic college students than they do when the respondents are grouped by gender.

College Student Spirituality at a Hispanic Serving Institution

This study compares and contrasts the spiritual beliefs between Cuban American and non-Hispanic college students at a Hispanic serving institution. Both ethnic student groups described similar spiritual beliefs. Specifically, both ethnic student groups expressed their spiritual beliefs in multiple ways, and they both believed that to be spiritual, one did not have to follow strict religious practices. It appears that both ethnic student groups are undergoing an initial spiritual transculturation or a process in which both ethnic student groups begin to exchange and share beliefs.