Multiracial individuals face unique challenges that may lead to high rates of alcohol and other drug use

Multiracial or mixed-race individuals – having parents or ancestors of different races – currently comprise more than 10 percent of the U.S. population. There is very little research on Multiracial individuals even though young adults in this group report high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use: binge drinking, illicit drug use other than cannabis, and drug use disorders. New research explores what factors may contribute to high rates of substance use among this population. Results will be shared at the 47^th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Multiracial people are a fast-growing racial demographic group in the U.S.,” said Tessa Nalven, a graduate student at the University of Rhode Island, “but are often rendered nearly invisible as a race. Yet Multiracial young adults often report their race as being among their most salient identities. Within the context of their high rates of AOD use, I hope to draw attention to their voices to help advocate for findings solutions to their unique concerns and challenges.”

Nalven will discuss her study’s findings at the RSA meeting on Sunday, 23 June 2024.

In the fall of 2021, she conducted four semi-structured, online focus groups with 22 (17 females, 5 males) Multiracial young adults 18 to 25 years of age with the objective of uncovering factors related to their AOD use. All study participants had self-reported previous six-month AOD use, and were recruited with the intention of collecting a diverse and heterogeneous sample.

“Multiracial young adults often report their race feels impactful across all aspects of their lives,” said Nalven, “resulting in feeling excluded and misunderstood in many contexts, which they also believe relates to high rates of AOD use. My study found that Multiracial young adults ascribe their high rates of substance use to: one, racial discrimination; two, environmental influences; three, identity development difficulties; four, struggles with fitting in; and five, mental health challenges.”

Nalven added that these unique social and environmental factors associated with AOD use in Multiracial young adults require unique interventions. “Interventions to ameliorate the disproportionate rates of AOD use among Multiracial young adults should address ways to respond to discrimination and mental health or racial identity concerns,” she said. “Moreover, systemic interventions are needed to educate communities to foster inclusive environments and reduce discrimination and inequitable treatment of Multiracial people.”

Nalven observed that the field of addiction research, and the science around mental-health concerns as a whole, have been too focused on single-racial – and primarily White – groups. “I believe there is important utility in studying Multiracial people as a cohesive group, without parsing out their separate identities; to examine the similarities – both strengths and struggles – that Multiracial young adults experience as a result of their similar lived experiences in the context of a monoracial and White-centric society.”