Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Statistical Effects of Religious Participation and Marriage on Substance Use and Abuse in Racial and Ethnic Minorities

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Substance use and abuse, which includes alcohol use, alcohol dependence, drug use, and drug dependence, inflicts a substantial toll on Americans. Although studies have demonstrated the protective effect of social support, such as religious participation and via marriage, understanding their influence on racial and ethnic minorities is limited. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the impact of social support on substance use and abuse in racial and ethnic minorities. The Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, a repository of race, ethnicity, and mental health data, was leveraged to develop four models using multivariate analysis, specifically logistic regression to estimate the probability of meeting the criteria for substance use and abuse. Racial and ethnic minorities were found to have lower rates of substance use and abuse compared to Whites, and foreign-born individuals were consistently less likely to use or abuse substances compared to American-born minorities. Mental health conditions were highly associated with substance use and abuse, and social support by way of religious participation and marriage was protective against substance use and abuse. In racial and ethnic minorities, nativity and social support were protective against substance use and abuse; however, these protective factors did not completely eliminate risk. Thus, although race and ethnicity are important to understanding health outcomes and health behaviors, such as substance use and abuse, it is the intersection of multiple factors, representing internal and external forces, which may be more informative and offer a more comprehensive picture of the landscape influencing drug and alcohol use and dependence. Targeted interventions should consider leveraging religious spaces and bilingual materials when attempting to reach racial and ethnic minorities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (APA). (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachman, J. G., Freedman-Doan, P., O’Malley, P. M., Schulenberg, J. E., & Johnston, L. D. (2008). Revisiting marriage effects on substance use among young adults. Monitoring the future occasional paper series. Paper 68: 1–20.

  • Budhwani, H., Hearld, K. R., & Chavez-Yenter, D. (2014). Depression in racial and ethnic minorities: The impact of nativity and discrimination. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities,. doi:10.1007/s40615-014-0045-z.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Budhwani, H., Hearld, K. R., & Chavez-Yenter, D. (2015). Generalized anxiety disorder in racial and ethnic minorities: A case of nativity and contextual factors. Journal of Affective Disorders, 175, 275–280.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caetano, R., Vaeth, P. A. C., Chartier, K. G., & Mills, B. A. (2014). Epidemiology of drinking alcohol use disorders, and related problems in US ethnic minority groups. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 125, 629–648.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2012). Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2012. Vital and Health Statistics, 10(260), 73–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chitwood, D. D., Weiss, M. L., & Leukefeld, C. G. (2008). A systematic review of recent literature on religiosity and substance use. Journal Drug Issues, 38, 653–688. doi:10.1177/002204260803800302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Hoberman, H. M. (1983). Positive events and social supports as buffers of life change stress. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 13(2), 99–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fennelly, K. (2007). The “healthy migrant” effect. minnesota medicine. Clinical and Health Affairs. Available at http://www.minnesotamedicine.com/Past-Issues/Past-Issues-2007/March-2007/Fennelly-Clinical-March-2007.

  • Hanson, M. D., & Chen, E. (2007). Socioeconomic status and health behaviors in adolescence: A review of the literature. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 263–285.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodge, D. R., Cardenas, P., & Montoya, H. (2001). Substance use: Spirituality and religious participation as protective factors among rural youths. Social Work Research, 25(3), 153–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humensky, J. L. (2010). Are adolescents with high socioeconomic status more likely to engage in alcohol and illicit drug use in early adulthood. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 5(19), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, K. S., Gardner, C. O., & Prescott, C. A. (1997). Religion, psychopathology, and substance use and abuse: A multi-measure, genetic-epidemiologic study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 322–329.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langford, C. P. H., Bowsher, J., Maloney, J. P., & Lillis, P. P. (1997). Social support: A conceptual analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(1), 95–100.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lara, M., Gamboa, C., Kahramanian, M. I., Morales, L. S., & Bautista, D. E. H. (2005). Acculturation and Latino health in the United States: A review of the literature and its sociopolitical context. Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 367–397. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144615.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muening, P., & Fahs, M. C. (2002). Health Status and hospitalization utilization among immigrants to New York City. Preventive Medicine, 35(3), 225–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NIH. (2015a). National Institute of Drug Abuse: Advancing Addiction Science. https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates. Accessed 11 July 2016.

  • NIH. (2015b). National Institute of Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nationwide-trends#asterisk. Accessed 12 July 2015.

  • NIH. (2015c). National Institute on Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction. http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics. Accessed 12 July 2015.

  • Nollen, N. L., Catley, D., Davies, G., Hall, M., & Ahluwalia, J. S. (2005). Religiosity, social support, and smoking cessation among urban African American smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 30(6), 1225–1229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell, M. E., Boat, T., & Warner, K. E. (Eds.). (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. Washington, DC: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, M. E., Wightman, P., Schoeni, R. F., & Schulenber, J. E. (2012). Socioeconomic status and substance use among young adults: A comparison across constructs and drugs. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 75(5), 772–782.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Regier, D. A., Farmer, M. E., Rae, D. S., et al. (1990). Comorbidity of mental disorders with alcohol and other drug abuse: Results for the epidemiologic catchment area study. JAMA, 264(19), 2511–2518.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rew, L., & Wong, J. Y. (2006). A systematic review of associations among religiosity/spirituality, and adolescent health attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38, 433–442.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, K. M., Wells, J. E., Angermeyer, M., et al. (2010). Gender and relationship between marital status and first onset of mood anxiety, and substance use disorders. Psychological Medicine, 40(90), 1495–1505.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, G. K., & Siahpush, M. (2001). All-cause and cause-specific mortality of immigrants and native born in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 91(3), 392–399.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-38A, HHS Publication No. SMA 10-4856). Rockville, MD. Available at http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf.

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2016). Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness. http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention. Accessed 11 July 2016.

  • Tang, T. S., Brown, M. B., Funnell, M. M., & Anderson, R. M. (2008). Social support, quality of life, and self-care behaviors among African Americans with type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Educator, 34(2), 266–276.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tjur, T. (2009). Coefficients of determination in logistic regression models—A new proposal the coefficient of discrimination. The American Statistician, 63(4), 366–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan, E. L., de Dios, M. A., Steinfeldt, J. A., & Kratz, L. M. (2011). Religiosity, alcohol use attitudes, and alcohol use in a national sample of adolescents. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 25(3), 547–553.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wahler, E. A., & Otis, M. D. (2014). Social stress, economic hardship, and psychological distress as predictors of sustained abstinence from substance use after treatment. Substance Use and Misuse, 49(13), 1820–1832.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, W. A. (2004). A review: maximizing social support—A neglected strategy for improving weight management with African–American women. Ethnicity and Disease, 14, 212–218.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 563 School of Health Professions Building, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Kristine Ria Hearld

  2. School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 517E Ryals Public Health Building, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Amy Badham

  3. Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 517D Ryals Public Health Building, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Henna Budhwani

Authors
  1. Kristine Ria Hearld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amy Badham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Henna Budhwani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristine Ria Hearld.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hearld, K.R., Badham, A. & Budhwani, H. Statistical Effects of Religious Participation and Marriage on Substance Use and Abuse in Racial and Ethnic Minorities. J Relig Health 56, 1155–1169 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0330-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0330-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation