Major and Classification
Psychology
Faculty Mentor
- Stanley Huey, Ph.D.
Department
- Psychology
McNair Project
“Acculturation and Alcohol Consumption”
Recent research has presented a strong positive relationship between acculturation and alcohol consumption in Latino populations. Studies show that for adolescents this effect is particularly strong. However, the acculturative process affects females differently than males. This study examines alcohol consumption as an indicator of this difference. Self-report data from Latino high school students (N = 324) pertaining to both acculturation and alcohol consumption was analyzed. Results demonstrated a significant positive correlation for females between acculturation and alcohol consumption. For males, there was no significant variance in alcohol consumption across the spectrum of acculturation. These results suggest that there are psychological factors of the acculturative process that are not the same for females and males. If this is the case, then other social and behavioral factors warrant examination in order to better understand the experience of acculturation.