Race/Ethnicity, Coping, and Drinking Outcomes

Abstract

Particular coping strategies involving behavioral and psychological responses to stressors are viewed as protective in relation to harmful effects of stressors, including problematic drinking. One framework for examining modes of coping has classified responses into those deemed either protective of or detrimental to health. This study examined racial/ethnic differences in the use of nine coping strategies and their relation to problematic drinking. Using two waves of data from a study of university employees, we examined the extent to which modes of coping varied by race/ethnicity, and whether the coping strategies were protective or predictive of problematic drinking. Two modes of coping considered “maladaptive” (denial, self-blame) were protective for African American and Hispanic respondents in comparison to White respondents, while two “adaptive” measures of coping (positive reframing, humor) were protective against drinking for African Americans compared to Whites. Implications for these findings as well as directions for future research are discussed.