Alcohol Research Group

Disparities

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ASSESS DISPARITIES

ARG’s disparities research focuses on identifying, understanding and preventing inequitable alcohol-related health outcomes and conditions experienced by specific population groups. Such inequities are often identified along racial or ethnic lines but can also be experienced by people who have limited access to health services, live in poorer neighborhoods or face discrimination because of their sex. With over 30 years combined experience in researching disparities and alcohol-related issues, our scientists bring to the field an extensive collection of skills, knowledge and expertise that has advanced methodology in the field, influenced policy, and identified knowledge gaps in understanding differences between groups.

IN THE NEWS

Data disaggregation reveals hidden suicide risk

Separately analyzing racial and ethnic groups reveals hidden disparities in youth suicide riskLearn more

Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Younger Adults are Less Likely to Attend AA

Large disparities in who attends AA meetings, new study finds. Learn more

FEATURED PROJECTS

2023-2024 National Alcohol Survey Sexual and Gender Minority Oversample

Trauma, Substance Use, and Incarceration Over the Lifecourse: Identifying Social Supports to Promote Resiliency in a US National Cohort Study

Disaggregating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to identify mechanisms of adolescent suicide risk

COVID-19 Center Project

Alcohol and Tobacco Use and Desistance Among Asian Americans: A Lifecourse Examination of Critical Periods and Subgroup Disparities

Quality of Alcohol-Related Care Received: Missed Opportunities, Disparities and Impacts of Health Reform

Understanding Disparities in Alcohol Treatment Services Utilization

Disrupting Pathways from Early Adversity to Adult Substance Abuse: Identifying Education Resilience Factors in Diverse Groups

Neural Basis of Alcohol/Substance Use Disorders and Suicide in American Indians

Community College Smokefree Policies: Disparities, Contexts and Strategies

Drinking Patterns, Lifestyle Factors & Chronic Conditions In Asian Americans

Social, Individual and community influences on alcohol use disorders and other mental health behaviors in Mexican Americans

California Reducing Disparities Project—Phase II: Asian American and Pacific Islander Technical Assistance Provider: Special Service for Groups

Inter-relationships Between Life-course Alcohol Patterns and Health Conditions

Effects of Marriage Recognition on Substance Abuse and Health for Women

Substance and Non-Prescribed Hormone Use Among Transmen

Evaluating thoughts and attitudes of Latinos about providing biological samples for alcohol research

Inflammation and alcohol-related racial/ethnic health disparities

Disadvantage and Sociocultural Modifiers in Asian American Drinking

Factors Responsible for Racial-Gender Disparities in Alcohol Services Use

Substance Use Treatment Among Sexual Minority Women (A Center Pilot Study)

Addiction Recovery Residences to Improve Health Outcomes in High-Risk Men

Differential Effects of Alcohol-related Policy Across U.S. Population Subgroups (A Center Research Component)

Hotspots: Understanding Areas of Concentrated Alcohol and Drug Problems at the US-Mexico Border (A Center Research Component)

Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems: Disparities in alcohol-related risks for injury, diabetes and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (A Center Research Component)

Addiction Recovery Residences to Improve Health Outcomes in High-Risk Men

Race/ethnicity, Socioeconomic Disadvantage, and Disparities in Alcohol Problems (A Center Research Component)

Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment (A Center Pilot Study)

Sexual Orientation Differences: Prevalence & Correlates of Substance Use & Abuse

Randomized Trial of Intensive MI to Improve Drinking Outcomes among Women

Economic Contraction and Alcohol-related Suicides: A Multi-level Analysis

Understanding Racial Disparities in Heavy Drinking over the Life Course

Effects of Disadvantage and Protective Resources on Alcohol-Related Disparities

Identifying Modifiable Influences on Alcohol Problems in High-Risk Neighborhoods

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Alcohol Outcomes: Moderators and Mediators

Epidemiology of Drinking and Disorders in Border vs. Non-Border Contexts

Alcohol and Mortality: Ethnic and Social Influences

PUBLICATIONS

See All Publications

Inequities in alcohol screening of primary care patients with chronic conditions

American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2024

Unmasking suicidal ideation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander youths via data disaggregation

JAMA Netw Open, 2024

Unmasking suicidal ideation for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Youths via data disaggregation

JAMA Network Open, 2024

Protective effects of ethnic enclaves: Testing pathways to alcohol use and use disorders in Mexican American young adults

American Journal of Community Psychology, 2024

Inequitable access to general and behavioral healthcare in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic: A role for telehealth?

Preventive Medicine, 2023

Linking historical discriminatory housing patterns to the contemporary alcohol environment

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy, 2023

“I’m gay with an asterisk”: How intersecting identities influence LGBT strengths

Journal of Homosexuality, 2023

Alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults: Examining intragroup marginalization, bicultural self-efficacy, and the role of gender within a stress and coping framework

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2023

Can lifestyle factors explain racial and ethnic inequalities in all-cause mortality among US adults?

BMC Public Health, 2023

Risky drinking and other drug use in adults with chronic conditions in the United States: Differential associations by race/ethnicity

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2023

School and community factors associated with the adoption of 100% smoke-free policy by California community colleges, 2003-2019

American Journal of Health Promotion, 2022

Effects of Medicaid expansion on alcohol and opioid treatment admissions in US racial/ethnic groups

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2022

Education matters: Longitudinal pathways to mid-life heavy drinking in a national cohort of Black Americans

Addiction, 2022

Associations of clustered health risk behaviors with diabetes and hypertension in White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American adults

BMC Public Health, 2022

School and community factors associated with the adoption of 100% smoke-free policy by California community colleges, 2003-2019

American Journal of Health Promotion, 2022

Racial/ethnic and gender differences in risk of injury and life-course drinking patterns: Data from US national alcohol surveys

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2022

Drug-facilitated sexual assault, impaired trauma memory, and implications for mental health treatment

European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2022

Comparing substance use outcomes by sexual identity among women: Differences using propensity score methods

Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 2022

Postmortem screening of opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol among rural and urban suicide decedents

The Journal of Rural Health, 2022

Corrigendum to ‘Impact of the policy environment on substance use among sexual minority women’

Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports, 2022

Examining the differential protective effects of women’s spirituality and religiosity on alcohol and marijuana use by sexual identity

Addictive Behaviors Reports, 2022

Gender and sexual identity and harms from others’ drinking among US college students: Results from a multi-campus survey

Journal of American College Health, 2022

Age of onset and alcohol and cannabis use disorders among Mexican American young adults: Robust substance-specific effects of early use as a risk factor

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2022

Examining the differential protective effects of women’s spirituality and religiosity on alcohol and marijuana use by sexual identity

Addictive Behaviors Reports, 2022

Educational attainment and lifestyle risk factors associated with all-cause mortality in the US

JAMA Health Forum, 2022

Alcohol consumption, cardiovascular related conditions, and ALDH2*2 ethnic group prevalence in Asian Americans

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2021

Racial/ethnic disparities in mutual-help group participation for substance use problems

Alcohol Research, 2021

Drinking and neighborhood contexts of alcohol’s harms from others

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2021

Intersections of neighborhood co-ethnic density and nativity status on heavy drinking in a general population sample of US Latinos and Asians

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2021

Drinking cultures and socioeconomic risk factors for alcohol and drug use disorders among first- and second-generation immigrants: A longitudinal analysis of Swedish population data

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2021

The Great Recession, behavioral health, and self-rated health: An examination of racial/ethnic differences in the US

Addictive Behaviors, 2021

Alcohol policy effects on 100% chronic alcohol-attributable mortality across racial/ethnic subgroups

Preventive Medicine, 2021

Harm from others’ drinking among sexual minority adults in the United States

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33337273/, 2021

Alcohol consumption, cardiovascular-related conditions, and ALDH2*2 ethnic group prevalence in Asian Americans

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2021

Recruiting for diversity: a pilot test of recruitment strategies for a national alcohol survey with mail-in genetic data collection

The Journal of Community Genetics, 2021

A new gender microaggressions taxonomy for undergraduate women on college campuses: a qualitative examination

Violence Against Women, 2021

Childhood experiences and high-intensity drinking among American Indian and Alaska Native adults: findings from the 2000-2015 National Alcohol Surveys

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2021

Neighborhood risk Factors for recidivism: For whom do they matter?

American Journal of Community Psychology, 2021

Rates and predictors of Alcoholics Anonymous attendance across sexual orientations

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2021

Drinking and neighborhood contexts of alcohol’s harms from others

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2021

Examining perceived effects of same-sex marriage legalization among sexual minority women: Identifying demographic differences and factors related to alcohol use disorder, depression, and self-perceived health

Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 2021

Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among African American, Latinx, and White Sexual Minority Women: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study

Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity, 2021

Measuring the impact of legal recognition of same-sex marriage among sexual minority women

Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 2021

Understanding alcohol and marijuana use among sexual minority women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A descriptive phenomenological study

Journal of Homosexuality, 2021

Alcohol use severity, depressive symptoms, and optimism among Hispanics: Examining the immigrant paradox in a serial mediation model

Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2021

Investigating differential protective effects of marriage on substance use by sexual minority status. International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research

The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2020

The downward spiral: Socioeconomic causes and consequences of alcohol dependence among men in late young adulthood, and relations to racial/ethnic disparities

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2020

Racial/ethnic variations in clustered risk behaviors in the U.S

American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2020

Subjective social status and financial hardship: Associations of alternative indicators of socioeconomic status with problem drinking in Asian Americans and Latinos

Substance Use & Misuse, 2020

Black-White differences in barriers to specialty alcohol and drug treatment: findings from a qualitative study

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2020

Women’s barriers to specialty substance abuse treatment: A qualitative exploration of racial/ethnic differences

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2020

Alcohol-related disparities among women: Evidence and potential explanations

Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 2020

Ethnic enclaves and ethnoburbs: Are there differences in associations with juvenile offense type among Asian Americans?

Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 2020

Gender equality, drinking cultures and second-hand harms from alcohol in the 50 US states

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

Support for alcohol policies in marginalized populations

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2020

Female-perpetrated sexual violence: a survey of survivors of female-perpetrated childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2020

Trends and disparities in American Indian/Alaska Native unintentional injury mortality from 1999 to 2016

Injury Prevention, 2020

The impact of peer and family functioning on transgender and gender-diverse children’s mental health

Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2020

Gender differences in use of alcohol treatment services and reasons for non-use in a national sample

Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2019

Improving recovery outcomes among MSM: the potential role of recovery housing

Journal of Substance Use, 2019

Associations of Asian ethnicity and parental education with overweight in Asian American children and adolescents: An analysis of 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2019

CR-19-0950: Event-related responses to alcohol-related stimuli in Mexican-American young adults: Relation to age, gender, comorbidity and “dark side” symptoms.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2019

Feasibility of a mail-in, self-administered dried blood spot collection method in national, population-based alcohol surveys in the United States

Addiction, 2019

Justice involvement and girls’ sexual health: Directions for policy and practice

Children and Youth Services Review, 2019

Gender equality, drinking cultures and second-hand harms from alcohol in the 50 US states

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019

Beyond the immigrant enclave: Differentiating between coethnic neighborhoods for the study of health and social problems

GeoJournal, 2019

Educational differences in alcohol consumption and heavy drinking: an age-period-cohort perspective

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2018

Circulating cytokine levels are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety among people with alcohol and drug use disorders

Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2018

A life course approach to understanding racial/ethnic differences in transitions into and out of alcohol problems

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2018

Protective factors as an explanation for the “paradox” of Black-White differences in heavy drinking

Substance Use and Misuse, 2018

Estimating mental health impacts of alcohol’s harms from other drinkers: using propensity scoring methods with national cross-sectional data from the United States

Addiction, 2018

Ten-year trend in women’s reasons for abstaining or limiting drinking: the 2000 and 2010 United States National Alcohol Surveys

Journal of Women's Health, 2018

Strengths and coping strategies in the life narratives of sexual minority women

Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 2018

Gender and country differences in alcohol-aggression expectancy and alcohol-related intimate partner violence

Deviant Behavior, 2018

The gender difference in the association between early onset of drinking and problem drinking between the U.S. and Japan

Deviant Behavior, 2018

Preparing Mexican-origin community health advocates

Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 2018

Beyond the immigrant enclave: Differentiating between coethnic neighborhoods for the study of health and social problems

GeoJournal, 2018

Delivering LGBT-sensitive substance use treatment to sexual minority women

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 2018

The GENAHTO Project (Gender and Alcohol’s Harm to Others): design and methods for a multinational study of alcohol’s harm to persons other than the drinker

The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, 2018

Risk of alcohol-related injury: does societal drinking context make a difference?

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2018

Racial/ethnic differences in 30-year trajectories of heavy drinking in a nationally representative U.S. sample

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017

Alcohol use patterns and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder on both sides of the US-Mexico border

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2017

Racial/ethnic differences in life-course heavy drinking from adolescence to midlife

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2017

Wanting and getting help for substance problems on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2017

Medicaid expansion and healthcare access: lessons from Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences in California

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2017

Disparities in pharmacotherapy for alcohol use disorders in the context of universal healthcare: a Swedish register study

Addiction, 2017

Job loss and alcohol dependence among blacks and whites in a National Longitudinal Survey

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2017

Ethnic-group socioeconomic status as an indicator of community-level disadvantage: a study of overweight/obesity in Asian American adolescents

Social Science & Medicine, 2017

Offsetting the effects of neighborhood disadvantage on problem drinking

Journal of Community Psychology, 2017

Racial/ethnic differences in access to and engagement with specialty addictions treatment among patients with alcohol use disorders in the Veterans Health Administration

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2017

Age at immigration and substance use and problems among males and females at the U.S.–Mexico border

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2017

Changing racial/ethnic disparities in heavy drinking trajectories through young adulthood: a comparative cohort study

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2017

Alcohol policy: A tool for addressing health disparities? In N. Giesbrecht and L. Bosma (eds.), Preventing Alcohol-Related Problems: Evidence and Community-Based Initiatives

Washington, DC: American Public Health Association Press, 2017

A birth cohort study of Asian and Pacific Islander children reported for abuse or neglect by maternal nativity and ethnic origin

Child Abuse & Neglect, 2017

Acculturation and alcohol use: the role of environmental contexts

Acculturation and alcohol use: the role of environmental contexts, 2017

Prevalence and correlates of arrests or stops for drunk driving on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2017

Area-level disadvantage and alcohol use disorder in northern Mexico

2017

Alcohol use patterns and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2017

Relationship of usual volume and heavy consumption to risk of alcohol-related injury: racial/ethnic disparities in four U.S. National Alcohol Surveys

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2016

Conducting qualitative interviews by telephone: lessons learned from a study of alcohol use among sexual minority and heterosexual women

Qualitative Social Work, 2016

Understanding associations between neighborhood socioeconomic status and negative consequences of drinking: A moderated mediation analysis

Prevention Science, 2016

Effects of economic disruptions on alcohol use and problems: why do African Americans fare worse?

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2016

Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, and Overweight in Asian American Adolescents

Preventive medicine reports, 2016

Discrimination and drinking: a systematic review of the evidence

Social Science & Medicine, 2016

Factors explaining variation in alcohol use disorder prevalence across border and nonborder communities in Texas

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental, 2016

Poor, persecuted, young, and alone: Toward explaining the elevated risk of alcohol problems among Black and Latino men who drink.

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2016

Early life health, trauma and social determinants of lifetime abstention from alcohol

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2016

Gender differences in desistance from crime: How do social bonds operate among formerly incarcerated emerging adults?

Journal of Adolescent Research, 2016

Racial disparities in service referrals for families in the child welfare system

Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2016

Religiosity as a protective factor for hazardous drinking and drug use among sexual minority and heterosexual women: findings from the National Alcohol Survey

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2016

Gender and alcohol use disorders diagnostic criteria in emergency department patients in Argentina

Substance Use Misuse, 2016

Brief intervention in the emergency department among Mexican-origin young adults at the US-Mexico border: Outcomes of a randomized controlled clinical trial using Promotores

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2016

Racial/ethnic disparities in the self-reported number of drinks in 2 hours before driving becomes impaired

American Journal of Public Health, 2015

Asian American problem drinking trajectories during the transition to adulthood: ethnic drinking cultures and neighborhood contexts

American Journal of Public Health, 2015

Drinking behaviors and life course socioeconomic status during the transition from adolescence to adulthood among Whites and Blacks

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2015

Readiness to change and accept help and drinking outcomes in young adults of Mexican origin

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2015

The effect of cross-border mobility on alcohol and drug use among Mexican-American residents living at the U.S.-Mexico border

Addictive Behaviors, 2015

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Associations Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, Distress, and Smoking Among U.S. Adults

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 2015

Racial/ethnic disparities in the risk of injury related to the frequency of heavy drinking occasions

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2015

The association between alcohol use and depressive symptoms across socioeconomic status among 40- and 45-year-old Norwegian adults

2015

Racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol-related problems: differences by gender and level of heavy drinking

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2014

Intensive Motivational Interviewing for women with concurrent alcohol problems and methamphetamine dependence

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2014

Framing ethnic variations in alcohol outcomes: From biological pathways to neighborhood context

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2014

A moderating role for gender in racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol services utilization: results from the 2000-2010 National Alcohol Surveys

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2014

Social Stressors and Alcohol Use among Immigrant Sexual and Gender Minority Latinos in a Non-Traditional Settlement State

Substance Use & Misuse, 2014

Disparities in the use and quality of alcohol treatment services and some proposed solutions

Psychiatric Services, 2014

Social status attainment during the transition to adulthood

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2014

Understanding the contribution of income inequality to alcohol use patterns and associated problems

American Journal of Public Health, 2013

The 2008-9 recession and alcohol outcomes: Differential exposure and vulnerability for Black and Latino populations

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2013

Examining Alcohol’s Contribution to the U.S. African American/White Cirrhosis Mortality Differential from 1950 to 2002. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agt031 [Epub: 4 April 2013].

Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2013

Temporal trends and changing racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol problems: Results from the 2000 to 2010 National Alcohol Surveys

Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, 2013

Alcohol and drug use as predictors of intentional injuries in two emergency departments in British Columbia

American Journal on Addictions, 2013

Sex differences in psychiatric symptoms among methamphetamine-dependent residents in sober living houses

Addictive Disorders and Their Treatment, 2012

Neighborhood disadvantage and adult alcohol outcomes: Differential risk by race and sex

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2012

Twenty‐one year trends and correlates of pressure to change drinking

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2012

Racial and ethnic differences in all-cause mortality risk according to consumption patterns in the National Alcohol Surveys

American Journal of Epidemiology, 2011

Preventing disparities in alcohol screening and brief intervention: The need to move beyond primary care.

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2011

Heavy drinking occasions in relation to ischaemic heart disease mortality: an 11-22 year follow-up of the 1984 and 1995 US National Alcohol Surveys

International Journal of Epidemiology, 2011

Effects of life-course drinking patterns on diabetes, heart problems and hypertension among those 40 and older in the 2005 US National Alcohol Survey

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2010

Gender differences in public and private drinking contexts: A multi-level GENACIS analysis

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2010

Disparities in alcohol-related problems among white, Black, and Hispanic Americans

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2009

Gender, acculturation, and other barriers to alcohol treatment utilization among Latinos in three National Alcohol Surveys

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009

Associations between acculturation and drinking outcomes of Latino men in the U.S.

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2009

Differences in the measured alcohol content of drinks between black, white and Hispanic men and women in a US national sample

Addiction, 2009

Integrating research and action: a systematic review of community-based participatory research to address health disparities in environmental and occupational health in the USA

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2008

Social disadvantage, stress, and alcohol use among Black, Hispanic, and white Americans: Findings from the 2005 US national alcohol survey

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2008

Ethnic disparities in clinical severity and services for alcohol problems: results from the National Alcohol Survey

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 2007

Unequal treatment: racial and ethnic disparities in alcoholism treatment services

Alcohol Res. Health, 2006

Health disparities in alcohol-related disorders, problems, and treatment use by minorities

FrontLines. Linking Alcohol Services Research and Practice, 2001