Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Immigrant Arab Americans and Alcohol Use: Longitudinal Study

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

English proficiency is associated with alcohol use in some immigrants groups, but little is known about its association among Arab Americans. Ethnographic work suggests gender, religion, education, and age influence prevalence of alcohol use among Arab Americans. Two years prospective study of recent Iraqi refugees and non-Iraqi Arab immigrants in Michigan using bilingual surveys and interviewers. At Time 1, prevalence of lifetime alcohol use was 20.5 % with males, Christians, better educated, older, and those with greater proficiency in English more likely to report ever drank. At Time 2, lifetime prevalence of drinking had increased to 34.0 %. In analysis of male new drinkers, risk factors were Christian, older age and greater proficiency in English. This study confirms drinking among recent immigrant Arab Americans varies by subgroups and suggests English proficiency may contribute to the increase in prevalence over time.

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.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Dawson D. Beyond black, white and Hispanic: race, ethnic origin and drinking patterns in the United States. J Subst Abuse. 1998;10:321–39.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Cahalan D, Cisin I. Drinking behavior and drinking problems in the United States. In: Kissin B, Begleiter H, editors. Social aspects of alcoholism. New York: Springer; 1976. p. 77–115.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Arfken CL, Ahmed S, Abu-Ras W. Respondent-driven sampling of Muslim undergraduate US college students and alcohol use: pilot study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013;48:945–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Michalak L, Trocki K. Alcohol and Islam: an overview. Contemp Drug Probs. 2006;33:523–62.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Johnson T, VanGeest J, Cho Y. Migration and substance use: evidence from the US national health interview survey. Subst Use Misuse. 2002;37:941–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Brown J, Council CL, Penne MA, Gfroerer JC. Immigrants and Substance Use: Findings From the 1999–2001 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. No.:(SMA) 04-3909, 2005; 76–99.

  7. Zemore S. Acculturation and alcohol among Latino adults in the United States: a comprehensive review. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007;31:1968–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Arfken CL, Arnetz BB, Fakhouri M, Ventimiglia MJ, Jamil H. Alcohol use among Arab Americans: what is the prevalence? J Immigr Minority Health. 2011;13:713–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Arfken CL, Owens D, Said M. Binge drinking among Arab/Chaldeans: an exploratory study. J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2012;11:277–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hosmer DW, Lemeshow S. Goodness of fit tests for the multiple logistic regression model. Commun Statist-Theory Methods. 1980;9(10):1043–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from NIH/NIMH (R01 085793): Mental health in Iraqi refugees: importance of post-displacement social stressors and institutional resources (Arnetz, PI) and in part from a grant from the state of Michigan (Lycaki-Young Fund). We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the interviewers, staff, community organizers, and especially, the participants to this project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, 3901 Chrysler Drive, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Cynthia L. Arfken

  2. Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Carissa L. Broadbridge

  3. Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Hikmet Jamil & Bengt B. Arnetz

  4. Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Bengt B. Arnetz

Authors
  1. Cynthia L. Arfken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Carissa L. Broadbridge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hikmet Jamil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bengt B. Arnetz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cynthia L. Arfken.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Arfken, C.L., Broadbridge, C.L., Jamil, H. et al. Immigrant Arab Americans and Alcohol Use: Longitudinal Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 16, 1303–1306 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9960-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9960-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation