Dary Fiorentino, Ph.D.

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• Dary Fiorentino, Ph.D.
• SCRI

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Objective

• Hispanics in the US DUI at higher rates than
  European Americans and African Americans
• Most studies to date have focused on detecting
  group differences between Hispanics and other
  racial/ethnic groups
• This study identified psychosocial mechanism that
  contribute to higher DUI behavior among Hispanics

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Study Population

• Mostly Mexican or Mexican American men
• Drove a car
• Between 21 and 39 years of age
• High alcohol consumption
• Limited income
• Limited education

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Data Collection

• Three sites
• Self-administered questionnaire (English or
  Spanish, N 104)
• Focus groups (4 with men, 1 with women)

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Demographics
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Alcohol Consumption

• Heavy drinkers
• In last 28 days
• Had 3 or more drinks 7 days
• Had 6 or more drinks 4 days
• Had 9 or more drinks 3 days

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Drinking and Driving

• Needed 7 drinks to become unsafe drivers
• Was more likely to drive within 2 h of drinking
  than Hispanics sampled by Royal (2000 59 vs.
  25)
• Was more likely to have been arrested for DUI
  than Hispanics sampled by Royal (2000 16 vs.
  2)
• 23 had been arrested for DUI in lifetime

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Attitudes Toward Drinking

• Top three reasons for drinking
• To be more sociable
• To relieve tension
• To feel better physically
• Appropriateness of getting drunk
• Party at a friends house (23.6)
• Family celebration (22.6)
• Bar with friends (17.0)

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Knowledge of the Law
10
Credibility of Sanctions
11
Personal Attitudes
12
Personal Behavior
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Perceptions of Social Control
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Mens Focus Groups

• The role of alcohol
• Attitudes and opinions on drunk driving
• Circumstances and determinants of drunk driving
• Prevention of drunk driving
• The role of the community or state in reducing
  DUI behavior

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Womens Focus Groups

• Husbands drinking is a serious problem
• Machismo is cause of excessive drinking
• Men are occasionally violent after drinking and
  are told to drink outside the home
• Alcohol is often used as a form of compensation
  by bosses
• The presence of children makes the men less
  likely to DUI
• Education o DUI children get at school is
  beneficial
• Criticism of CA law that prevent licensing of
  illegals

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Conclusions

• A subculture of permissiveness toward drinking
  and driving for men
• Heavy drinking, promoted by machismo and a
  propensity to measure masculinity with alcohol
  intake
• Inadequate knowledge of DUI statutes and
  inadequate understanding of the relationships
  between BAC, impairment, and crash risk
• For undocumented drivers, lack of accountability
  in case of an alcohol-related incident