Gender differences in alcohol and drug use among Hispanic adults: the influence of family processes and acculturation.

We examine the influence of family processes and acculturation for gender differences in alcohol and drug use among a sample representative of the Hispanic population in Miami-Dade County, Florida (N = 734). We found that (a) increases in age at marriage and acculturation were associated with greater substance use, (b) the associations between age at marriage, acculturation, and substance use were found to be greater for Hispanic women than men, and (c) with each additional child born, Hispanic women are increasingly less likely to use substances than Hispanic men. Data reveal that family processes and acculturation jointly impact substance use.