Among Latinx college students on the U.S./Mexico border, attachment style, marianismo beliefs, and bicultural self-efficacy moderated the link between adverse childhood experiences and substance use, but only among women.
People interested in cultural factors influencing cannabis use and the connection between childhood trauma and substance use
451 Latinx college students
What the researchers found
For female participants, insecure attachment style strengthened the link between childhood adversity and substance use, while stronger marianismo beliefs and higher bicultural self-efficacy altered this relationship. No moderation effects were statistically significant among males.
Why it matters
Latinx populations are underrepresented in substance use research. Understanding how cultural factors like gender role beliefs and bicultural identity influence the path from childhood trauma to substance use can inform more culturally responsive prevention and treatment.
The numbers in context
451 Latinx participants (283 female, 168 male); attachment style moderation β=0.04 (p=.03); marianismo beliefs moderation β=-65.57 (p=.01); bicultural self-efficacy moderation β=0.34 (p=.04); no significant moderation among males
How the study worked
Cross-sectional survey of 451 Latinx college students (283 female, 168 male) at a U.S./Mexico border university. Measured adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), alcohol and marijuana use frequency, attachment style, self-efficacy, familism, traditional gender norms (machismo/marianismo), and bicultural self-efficacy. Hierarchical linear regressions tested moderation effects.
What this study cannot tell us
Cross-sectional design cannot establish causal or temporal relationships. Sample limited to one border university, limiting generalizability to broader Latinx populations. Self-reported substance use may underestimate actual use. Gender differences could reflect measurement issues rather than true differences.
How to read the evidence
Moderately sized sample with validated measures, but cross-sectional design and single-site recruitment limit generalizability
When this study was published
2022 study
The bigger picture
This study highlights that the path from childhood adversity to substance use is not universal. Cultural context, gender role expectations, and bicultural identity can either buffer or amplify risk, suggesting that one-size-fits-all prevention approaches may miss key factors.
Questions still open
- Why were moderation effects significant only among females? Would longitudinal data reveal different patterns over time? How could culturally informed interventions target these specific moderating factors?
Common questions
What are marianismo beliefs?
Why were results different for men and women?
Read the original research
Cultural and psychosocial moderators of the association between adverse childhood experiences and alcohol and marijuana use among Latinx college students on the U.S./Mexico border.
Child abuse & neglect, 133, 105859
Citation
Woloshchuk, Claudia J; Frietze, Gabriel A; Cooper, Theodore V. (2022). Cultural and psychosocial moderators of the association between adverse childhood experiences and alcohol and marijuana use among Latinx college students on the U.S./Mexico border.. Child abuse & neglect, 133, 105859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105859
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