Acculturation and drinking behavior among Latinxs: a narrative review

Research suggests that acculturation is associated with increased alcohol consumption among Latinxs. The purpose of this narrative review is to contribute to this literature by examining the association between acculturation and alcohol use within current theoretical and etiological frameworks on cultural norms, acculturative stress, and acculturative gaps. This review also compares the utility of these explanatory frameworks for guiding future research. Two databases (PubMed and PsycInfo) were used to identify peer-reviewed studies pertaining to the associations between acculturation and alcohol use among Latinxs. Studies that examined drinking norms, acculturative stress, acculturation gaps, and drinking behavior in Latinxs were included. The types of study approaches and designs included quantitative, qualitative, cross-sectional, cohort, and longitudinal studies published between January 2000 and December 2021. Quality assessment and data synthesis were conducted by two reviewers. A total of 65 articles reporting empirical studies were included in the final review. Eighteen studies did not utilize a specific framework, but generally supported that acculturation is associated with increased alcohol consumption and alcohol related consequences among Latinxs. Additionally, sixteen studies examined cultural norms, twenty-two examined acculturative stress, while only nine utilized a gap discrepancy framework. Studies examining drinking norms appeared to largely explain changes in drinking behavior among Latinas, while studies examining acculturative stress seemed to be better equipped to explain changes in drinking behavior among Latino men. Meanwhile, the Gap Discrepancy Model articulates the gap between old and new cultural influences and can be conceptualized as an additional dimension of acculturative stress.