Racial and ethnic differences in associations between psychological distress and the presence of binge drinking: Results from the California health interview survey

- Psychological distress was positively associated with binge drinking.
- Race and ethnicity moderated the association between psychological distress and binge drinking.
- Asian Americans were more likely to engage in binge drinking when experiencing higher levels of psychological distress.

IntroductionRacial and ethnic minorities often suffer from poorer health than Whites given their exposure to more stressors and fewer resources that buffer the effects of stress. Given that alcohol is often consumed to alleviate the negative moods, the present study hypothesized that psychological distress may impact the involvement in binge drinking differently across racial and ethnic groups.MethodsWe used data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) from 2007 to 2012. The sample consisted of 130,556 adults including African Americans (N = 6541), Asians (N = 13,508), Latinos (N = 18,128), and Whites (N = 92,379). Binary logistic regression analysis was used with consideration for complex survey design.ResultsThe results indicated that psychological distress was significantly associated with binge drinking across all racial and ethnic groups. However, this association differed by race and ethnicity adjusting for age, gender, marital status, education, poverty, and employment status. The results revealed that psychological distress had the largest effect on binge drinking for Asian Americans, particularly Filipinos and South Asians, compared to Whites.ConclusionsThis study highlights the importance of examining racial and ethnic differences in the impacts of psychological distress on alcohol consumption. Future research is needed to better understand the potential factors that mediate the effects of psychological distress on binge drinking specific to each racial and ethnic group in order to develop culturally sensitive interventions and hence decrease the alcohol-related racial health disparities.