# Individual and community influences on alcohol use disorders and other mental health behaviors in Mexican Americans

> **NIH NIH R01** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 2020 · $98,340

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The overall objective of the proposed research is to conduct community level research and to develop a multilevel,
bio-psychosocial-ecological model of risk and protective factors for mental health (MH) and alcohol use disorders
(AUDs) in Mexican American young adults (primarily second generation immigrants) in San Diego county. U.S.-born
Mexican Americans have rates of alcohol use and psychiatric disorders that are higher than their Mexican-born ancestors
and peers. This suggests trans-generational processes of adapting to life in the U.S. may play an important role in MH and
health risk behaviors. The neighborhoods and communities in which these young adults settle also impact their health.
Therefore, second generation Mexican Americans living near the border represent a population at high risk for health
disparities. One theoretical approach to understanding the cause of these health disparities in immigrants is to envision the
stress associated with acculturation as similar to other chronic psychosocial stressors that can over time lead to a
dysregulation of the body's homeostatic function and thus impaired health. One measure of this dysregulation is allostatic
load (AL) a term coined by McEwen and Stellar to operationalize the “wear and tear” on the body caused by chronic
stress over time. In this study, we will apply new measures of AL to an extension of a previously ascertained cross-
sectional study of young adult Mexican American population (18-30 yrs) that has focused on individual bio-psychosocial
factors that influence MH and AUDs. Those preliminary studies have demonstrated a distinct cluster of bio-psychosocial
risk factors associated with MH, binge drinking and AUDs in this population. These associated factors include: early age
of onset of drinking, reduced sleep quality, electrophysiological measures, co-morbidity of AUD with other psychiatric
disorders, experience of trauma and post-traumatic stress syndrome, measures of acculturation stress, and distributions of
alcohol metabolizing enzymes unique to this population. In the studies proposed here, we will: (1) Use geocoding
procedures to obtain community/neighborhood data on our existing cohort and an expanded group of participants in order
to increase power to identify contextual influences on pathways to AUD, including gene X environment interactions, and
to evaluate gender differences; and (2) add a longitudinal study by following up with our existing cohort later in adulthood
to determine if they have “aged out” of early adult behavioral patterns or have developed more severe clinical outcomes.
The longitudinal study also will enable assessment of effects of changes in acculturation and moving to a new community,
or remaining in a high-risk neighborhood, on drinking and AUDs. Finally, we will, (3) use data from the expanded cross-
sectional and longitudinal samples to develop a comprehensive bio-psychosocial-ecological model of MH and AUDs in
Mexic...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10078070
- **Project number:** 3R01AA026248-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** CINDY L EHLERS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $98,340
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10078070

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10078070, Individual and community influences on alcohol use disorders and other mental health behaviors in Mexican Americans (3R01AA026248-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10078070. Licensed CC0.

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