Perceived discrimination enhances the association between distress and impact related to the murder of George Floyd and unhealthy alcohol use in a survey sample of U.S. Veterans who report drinking

Authors

Monique T. Cano, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Jill V. Reavis
David L. Pennington

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2023

Abstract

Introduction

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer leading to increased social justice and antiracism movements (SJARM) across the United States. Vicarious exposure to racism and perceived discrimination are salient sources of distress which may lead to increased alcohol use as means of coping. The primary aim of the current study was to examine how perceived discrimination and the subjective impact and personal distress related to the SJARM following the George Floyd murder interact and relate to unhealthy alcohol use among U.S. Veterans.

Methods

286 Veterans were assessed for unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-10), perceived discrimination (EDS), and subjective impact and personal distress related to the SJARM. Two moderation analyses were performed to examine whether subjective impact and personal distress moderated relations between perceived discrimination and alcohol use. In-depth follow-up analyses were conducted to examine differences and relationships among variables.

Results

In two different moderation models, perceived discrimination moderated the association between both subjective impact ( pppp <.01).

Conclusions

In the context of a socially unjust event amidst a global pandemic, perceived discrimination contributes to unhealthy alcohol use and subjective impact and personal distress associated with the SJARM following the murder of George Floyd. Results highlight the importance of addressing discrimination experiences in Veterans who seek alcohol treatment, particularly as rates of unhealthy alcohol use are on the rise.

Comments

© 2023 The Authors

Recommended Citation

Cano, M. T., Reavis, J. V., & Pennington, D. L. (2023). Perceived discrimination enhances the association between distress and impact related to the murder of George Floyd and unhealthy alcohol use in a survey sample of U.S. Veterans who report drinking. Addictive behaviors reports, 17, 100481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2023.100481

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Publication Title

Addictive behaviors reports

DOI

10.1016/j.abrep.2023.100481