Characteristics of alcohol consumption, correlates of alcohol misuse among Korean American adolescents.

There is scant research on alcohol and other drug use among Asians and Pacific Islanders living in the United States. In particular, there are no studies on alcohol consumption patterns among Korean American adolescents. This study provides new information on alcohol use for a population that has not been extensively studied. Descriptive analyses reveal that alcohol misuse does occur among Korean American adolescents. Results from logistic regression indicate that alcohol misuse among Korean American adolescents is influenced by the social variables found to affect use among other ethnic groups. For Whites, psychological variables (depression, self-esteem), perceived prejudice, and feeling safe where one lives explained variance beyond social influences. These findings support the contention that there are similarities in the social milieu of alcohol use among all adolescents in the United States. However, our data indicate that psychological forces provide additional influences on White alcohol misuse. Implications of our findings are discussed.