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Affiliation
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Department of History, Languages, and Social Sciences , Pensacola State College , Pensacola , Florida , USA. |
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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: An outgrowth of research has established a relationship between racial discrimination and alcohol use, as well as factors that moderate this association.
OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to determine if religious orientation moderates the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and alcohol use.
METHODS: This study utilized a cross-sectional data collection strategy to examine the relationship among discrimination, religious orientation, and alcohol use among undergraduate students (N = 349) at a midsize southeastern university. Data was collected in 2014. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the General Ethnic Discrimination Scale, the Extrinsic/Intrinsic Religious Orientation Scale-Revised and the Drinking and Drug Habits Questionnaire.
RESULTS: Analyses using hierarchical linear regression indicate a significant interaction effect (lifetime discrimination × extrinsic religious orientation) on problem drinking. Additional moderation analyses reveal a significant interaction effect between lifetime discrimination and the extrinsic-personal religious orientation on problem drinking.
CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that an extrinsic religious orientation, and particularly, an extrinsic-personal religious orientation, moderates the relationship between lifetime discrimination and problem drinking, suggesting that turning to religion for comfort and protection, rather than for the superficial purpose of seeing/making friends at church, may buffer against the deleterious effects of discrimination-specifically, engaging in problem drinking to cope with the stress of discrimination. Limitations, directions for future research, and clinical implications are discussed.
Language: en |