Patterns of Alcohol Use and Attitudes Toward Drinking Among Chinese and Korean American College Students

• NCJ Number: 224562
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: 2008 Pages: 341-356
• Author(s): Janet Chang; Eunai Shrake; Siyon Rhee
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The purpose of this study was to examine the alcohol consumption patterns and cultural attitudes toward drinking among Chinese and Korean American college students in California.

Abstract

Notable findings from the study include that 62 percent of the participants had drunk at least 1 day during the past 30 days. This figure seems to appear somewhat lower than the 78.6 percent current prevalence (past 30 days) of alcohol use presented in previous research. The study also reveals a remarkable difference in the use of alcohol between the Chinese and Korean college students. Korean students in the study generally drank more frequently and consumed greater amounts of alcohol than their Chinese counterparts. In addition, 28 percent of Korean students were heavy drinkers compared to 9 percent of the Chinese students. The number of Korean students who reported currently using illegal drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine, was significantly higher compared to that of the Chinese students. Other findings of importance include: (1) ethnic differences were found in the drinking pattern considering the fact that the frequency of nativity status and length of residency in the United States among the foreign-born participants were similar between the Chinese and Korean students; (2) gender differences were found in the consumption of alcohol and attitudes toward drinking among Chinese and Korean male and female students; (3) students’ drinking behavior was associated with the drinking status of their parents and friends; and (4) Chinese and Korean college students had moderately different attitudes toward drinking practices. Findings on drinking patterns among Asian college students are somewhat inconsistent. This study examined the alcohol consumption patterns and cultural attitudes toward drinking among Chinese and Korean American college students in California. Data were collected from a total of 294 participants comprising 127 Chinese and 167 Korean college students. Tables and references