DIFFERENCES IN ALCOHOLISM RISK FACTORS BETWEEN AFRICAN AMERICANS AND CAUCASIANS WITHIN

1. Intercept BAES Stim Slope -.05 ns -.32 p < .01 .08 ns -.26 p < .05 .07 ns Race Gender DIFFERENCES IN ALCOHOLISM RISK FACTORS BETWEEN AFRICAN AMERICANS AND CAUCASIANS WITHIN AN ALCOHOL-CHALLENGE PARADIGM S.L. Pedersen & D.M. McCarthy University of Missouri • Results • Mean Level Racial Differences • Drinking Behavior • African Americans reported lower levels of recent alcohol use: • past month (t = -4.41, p < .001) • typical quantity/frequency of drinking (t = -2.47, p < .05) • Alcohol Expectancies • African Americans reported lower positive alcohol expectancies (t = -3.56, p < .001). • Disinhibition • African Americans reported lower levels of disinhibited personality traits: • urgency (t = -2.14, p < .05) • sensation seeking (t = -3.20, p < .01) • lack of perseverance (t = -2.40, p < .05) • positive urgency (t = -3.11, p < .01) • Retrospective Sensitivity to Alcohol • African Americans reported increased sensitivity to alcohol during their heaviest drinking period (t = -3.85, p < .001). • Acute Response to Alcohol • African Americans experienced increased stimulation from alcohol on the ascending limb (ß = -.32, p < .01). • There were no differences between groups in acute sedation on the descending limb. • Introduction • Compared to Caucasians, African Americans have lower lifetime prevalence of most psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorders (Breslau et al., 2005). • African Americans also exhibit different drinking patterns than Caucasians (e.g. Bachman et al., 1991; Warheit et al., 1996; Dawson, 1998): • Initiate drinking later and increase use slower • Higher rates of abstinence • Increased persistence for alcohol use disorders once they develop • Numerous risk factors have been identified for Caucasian heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems. • Alcohol expectancies (see Goldman et al., 1999; Jones et al., 2001 for reviews) • Disinhibition/impulsivity (Sher & Trull, 1994), • Response to alcohol (e.g., Schuckit & Smith, 2001) • Additionally, in Caucasian samples, disinhibition and alcohol expectancies have been found to influence response to alcohol (Erblich & Earlywine, 2003; Brunelle et al., 2004; Schuckit, 1998). • However little research has tested potential explanations for racial differences in alcohol use. • This study tests group differences in 1) alcohol expectancies, 2) disinhibition, and 3) response to alcohol as potential explanations of drinking differences between African Americans and Caucasians. Study Hypotheses: • We tested mean differences between African Americans and Caucasians on alcohol use and risk factors for heavy use. African Americans should exhibit: • Lower positive alcohol expectancies. • Lower levels of disinhibited personality traits. • Higher self-reported sensitivity to alcohol. • We hypothesized that African Americans would experience less stimulation and more sedation from alcohol following the alcohol challenge. Method • Participants • 178 participants (mean age = 21.87, SD = 1.23; 43% male) completed the first visit of a two part alcohol-challenge study. • 131 participants completed the second laboratory visit (105 African Americans, 26 Caucasians). • Participants were recruited from posted advertisements. Measures • Demographics. • Alcohol Use.Past month quantity, frequency, and frequency of heavy drinking. • Disinhibition. NegativeUrgency, lack of Premeditation, lack of Perseverance, Sensation Seeking (UPPS: Whiteside & Lynam, 2001) and Positive Urgency (Cyders et al., 2007). • Alcohol expectancies (Goldman et al., 1997). • Subjective Response • Retrospective Sensitivity. Number of drinks required to feel an effect after first 5 drinking occasions and during period of heaviest drinking (SRE: Schuckit et al., 1997) • Acute Response. Stimulation and sedation assessed across ascending and descending limbs (BAES: Martin et al., 1993) Procedure • Visit 1: Questionnaires. • Visit 2: Alcohol challenge. • Completed baseline measurements (BAES, BAC) • Dosed with .72 g/kg ethanol at 9:00 am • Measurements repeated at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes after alcohol administration. • Analytic Plan • Test mean differences in alcohol use, retrospective sensitivity to alcohol, alcohol expectancies, and disinhibition. • Fit separate linear growth models for acute response on ascending and descending limbs using Mplus 4.2 (Muthén & Muthén, 2007). • Use these models to examine associations between racial group and acute response to alcohol. Discussion • This study tested two potential models for explaining differences in heavy alcohol use between Caucasians and African Americans. • A mean difference model, where lower levels of drinking in African Americans is due to lower levels of common risk factors for alcohol involvement (alcohol expectancies, disinhibition). • An alcohol response model, where African Americans exhibit lower stimulation and increased sedation following alcohol administration. • Results of the current study are consistent with a mean difference explanation, identified in prior research (McCarthy et al., 2001). • African Americans reported lower positive alcohol expectancies. • African Americans reported lower levels of four disinhibited personality traits. • Additionally, results from self-report suggested that African Americans reported greater sensitivity to the sedating effects of alcohol during their heaviest drinking period. This increased sensitivity would suggest reduced risk. • Contrary to hypothesis, alcohol challenge results indicated that African Americans experienced increased stimulation from alcohol on the ascending limb compared to Caucasians. • Prior research in Caucasian samples indicated that increased stimulation on the ascending limb is associated with increased risk of alcoholism (e.g., Newlin & Thompson, 1990). • As our African American sample experienced greater stimulation but reported lower drinking, our alcohol challenge results may indicate that response to alcohol may function differently for African Americans. • It may also be that genetic differences in the alcohol metabolizing enzymes (e.g., ADH polymorphisms) account for group differences in alcohol challenge results. • Data collection for this project is currently ongoing. • Future analyses will test for potential differences in mediation/moderation of risk between African Americans and Caucasians (e.g. religiosity). • Acknowledgements • Supported by NIAAA grants R21 AA015218: PI Denis M. McCarthy; T32 AA13526 ; PI Kenneth Sher.