Racism and alcohol use and related problems among Asian American and Pacific Island adults: The role of negative emotions in responses to experiencing racism

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although Asian American and Pacific Island (AAPI) individuals are less likely to use alcohol than other racial/ethnic groups, health disparities regarding alcohol-related outcomes indicate a need to study factors relevant to the AAPI community that may be related to alcohol use and related problems. Experiences of racism are related to greater alcohol use and related problems, presumably due to alcohol use in an attempt to manage heightened negative affect due to experiencing racism. Yet, no known studies have tested whether negative affect specifically related to racism is associated with alcohol outcomes among AAPI individuals. METHODS: The current study tested this hypothesis among 411 (58.2% male, aged 18-75) nationally recruited AAPI adults who endorsed current alcohol use. RESULTS: Experiences of AAPI-based racism and racism-related negative affect were statistically significantly related to drinking quantity and use-related problems. Racism-related negative affect was robustly related to alcohol outcomes after controlling for variance attributable to relevant demographic variables, anxiety, and depression. The relation of racism to alcohol problems occurred via racism-related negative affect and typical drinking quantity. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the deleterious effects of racism on mental and behavioral health among AAPI individuals. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: AAPI individuals have been underrepresented in research on alcohol use and related problems. The greater negative affect and alcohol problems associated with experiences of racism are concerning, given the high rates of racism experienced by AAPI individuals.