Gender and substance use among Latinx college students: An application of social structure social learning theory

Social structure social learning theory (SSSL) is a theoretical framework that has been used to understand gender differences in substance use. However, the Latinx community remains understudied in this body of research. Drawing on a Latinx college student sample, we tested the extent to which four social learning mechanisms specified by SSSL theory (positive definitions, neutralizing definitions, differential association, and differential reinforcement) explained gender differences in three substance use outcomes: alcohol intoxication, marijuana use, and illicit prescription drug use. We found that men reported greater levels of all three substance use outcomes, and that the social learning mechanisms mediated between 24% to 44% of these gender effects. We also found some evidence that the effects of differential association and differential reinforcement were stronger for men than women, suggesting that women may exhibit greater resilience when exposed to peer influence. We discuss the implications for SSSL theory and the study of substance use and gender differences in substance use among Latinx populations.