Research & Resources

This meta-analysis synthesized youth alcohol literature to estimate the magnitude of difference in alcohol use as a function of multiracial status. The meta-analysis used empirical studies reporting multiracial and monoracial comparisons in alcohol use by youth ages 10–24 years. A total of 1,555,635 youth in the United States were assessed. Multiracial youth were more likely to endorse lifetime alcohol use than Asian youth, with significant between-study heterogeneity in effect size comparisons. Multiracial youth were more likely to endorse past-month alcohol use than Black or Asian youth, but less likely than White youth. Multiracial youth were more likely to endorse binge alcohol use than Black or Asian youth, but less likely than White or American Indian/Alaska Native youth, with significant between-study heterogeneity among Black and Asian youth in effect size comparisons. The findings indicate that multiracial youth report distinct alcohol use patterns, compared with those of monoracial youth. The findings further indicate that multiracial youth may be at elevated alcohol use risk compared with Black and Asian youth.

This paper, “Alcohol use in multiracial American youth compared with monoracial youth: A meta-analysis,” was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the journal Addiction.