Age-Varying Association Between Discrimination, Childhood Family Support, and Substance Use Disorders Among Latin American Immigrants in the United States

The cultural stress theory posits that immigrants experience a constellation of cultural stressors such as discrimination that could exacerbate alcohol- and other substance-related problems. Drawing on cultural stress theory, this study investigated the age-varying association between past-year discrimination and substance use disorders (SUDs) among Latin American immigrants aged 18–60 and whether childhood family support moderated the above association. Method: We used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III (NESARC-III) among adults aged 18–60 who identified as a Latin American immigrant (N = 3,049; 48% female). Results: Time-varying effect models (TVEMs) revealed that experiencing past-year discrimination was associated with greater odds of having a SUD during young and middle adulthood for Latin American immigrants. Furthermore, for immigrants with lower childhood family support, discrimination was associated with SUD risk in young and middle adulthood. Conclusion: The present study documents that past-year discrimination was linked to greater SUD risk during young and middle adulthood. Childhood family support may serve as a protective factor in the association between discrimination and risk for SUD among Latin American immigrants.