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Asian American Women and Alcohol-Related Problems: The Role of Multidimensional Feminine Norms

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Abstract

Increasing rates of heavy episodic drinking (HED; four or more drinks in one sitting) and alcohol use disorders among young adult Asian American women signify the need to identify the risk and protective factors for HED and alcohol-related problems in this demographic. Multidimensional feminine norms, or the beliefs and expectations of what it means to be a woman, are theoretically relevant factors that may help elucidate within-group variability in HED and alcohol-related problems. The present study examined associations between nine salient feminine norms, HED, and alcohol-related problems among 398 second-generation Asian American college women. Our findings reveal that certain feminine norms are protective of HED and alcohol-related problems, while others are risk factors, even when controlling for well-established correlates of HED and alcohol-related problems, such as perceived peer drinking norms. The results elucidate the importance of multidimensional feminine norms and their relationship to HED and alcohol-related problems among the increasingly at-risk group, Asian American college women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Maryland-College Park, 2147A Biology-Psychology Building, College Park, MD, USA

    Derek Kenji Iwamoto, Margaux Grivel, Lauren Clinton & Aylin Kaya

  2. University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, USA

    Alice Cheng

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  1. Derek Kenji Iwamoto
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  2. Margaux Grivel
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Correspondence to Derek Kenji Iwamoto.

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Iwamoto, D.K., Grivel, M., Cheng, A. et al. Asian American Women and Alcohol-Related Problems: The Role of Multidimensional Feminine Norms. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 360–368 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0159-3

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