| dc.description.abstract | Research has shown that perceived social exclusion, characterized by the feeling of ostracism, is considered a stressful event that produces a negative affect. Ostracism, defined as exclusion by general consent from common privileges or social acceptance, has been shown to be associated with high levels of alcohol use in laboratory settings as well as increasing the likelihood of drinking in the short-term (Armeli, Conner, Cullum, and Tennen, 2010; Bacon & Engerman, 2018). However, research also suggests that social support has a protective role in alcohol and drug use (Dobkin, Civita, Paraherakis, & Gill, 2002). Furthermore, research on gender and sexual minorities shows that their respective minority stresses are associated with excessive alcohol and drug use (Gonzalez, Gallego, & Bockting, 2017; Corte, Matthews, Stein, & Lee, 2016). However, not much research is available on the role of racial/ethnic minority status-related social exclusion on alcohol use. Thus, the current study aims to examine the association of perceived ostracism and social belongingness with alcohol use in first-year minority students. In a sample of 116 first-year Texas A&M students, a self-report survey found that first-generation minority TAMU students reported significantly more minority stress than non-first generation minority TAMU students. Furthermore, in the full sample, alcohol use was negatively correlated with minority stress and social support. The implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed. | |
