(PS4-71) The Protective Influence of Cultural Values on the Association Between Post-Traumatic Stress and Alcohol Use in Migrant Adults

Abstract Text: Post-traumatic stress among the U.S. migrant populations is a significant public health concern, given many experience displacement, economic hardship, discrimination, and acculturative stress, among other oppressive experiences. These experiences often contribute to emotional distress and the development of unhealthy coping strategies, such as alcohol use (Cheg & Mallinckrodt, 2015; Flores et al., 2010). For some migrants, alcohol use may serve as a way to cope with the psychological and emotional toll of post-traumatic stress (Paulus et al., 2016; Salas-Wright & Schwartz, 2019). However, the relationship between post-traumatic stress and alcohol use can vary, as cultural factors may serve as protective influences, mitigating the likelihood of turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Thus, the present study seeks to examine whether cultural values (e.g., personalismo, familismo, and fatalismo) affect the strength of the association between post-traumatic stress and alcohol use in migrant Latino/a/x adults. Participants (n = 147) were 18 to 79 years old (M = 41.63; SD = 14.27) and identified as 67% female, 31.3% male, and 1.7% non-binary. Most (97.3%) were Spanish-speaking. After providing consent, participants completed demographics and measures related to post-traumatic stress (Schnurr et al., 1999), alcohol use (Bush et al., 1998), and cultural values (Cuellar et al., 1995). Three moderation analyses were conducted using PROCESS macro for SPSS 29.0 to examine the moderating role of personalismo, familismo, and fatalismo on the relationship between post-traumatic stress and alcohol use. Findings revealed that familismo and fatalismo did not moderate the relationship between post-traumatic stress and alcohol use. Findings also revealed that the overall model for personalismo was significant R2=.08, F(3,144) = 4.3, p <.001. The moderation analysis found that personalismo significantly buffered the relationship between post-traumatic stress and alcohol use, b = -.11 p = .02. Specifically, the association between post-traumatic stress and alcohol use was weakest for individuals with high levels of personalismo compared to those with lower levels, highlighting the protective influence of strong interpersonal connections and social support in coping with post-traumatic stress. Since familismo and fatalismo did not show similar moderating effects, this suggests that while family support is essential, the emphasis on close, trusting relationships inherent in personalismo may be more protective of how post-traumatic stress is associated with alcohol use. These findings underscore the importance of cultural values in understanding culturally specific coping assets within migrant populations. Thus, fostering personalismo within support networks could be a valuable approach to mitigating the adverse effects of post-traumatic stress and reducing alcohol use. Further research is needed to explore why specific cultural values, like personalismo, may be more protective of post-traumatic stress.