ABSTRACT Latinx Americans are disproportionately affected by alcohol-related health complications compared to non-Latinx Whites [3]. There is compelling evidence that Latinas may be particularly at risk for experiencing some alcohol-related health problems compared to Latinos. Women are more likely to develop alcohol-related cirrhosis and are more likely to have brain damage from alcohol use than men [4]. Disparities for women are further complicated by the intersection of gender with ethnicity, as research shows that Latinas and other racial and ethnic minority women may be less likely to seek treatment than non-Latina Whites [7]. Research also shows that the gender gap in drinking among Latinxs is narrowing [5], and young Latina women are engaging in more hazardous alcohol behaviors [3]. The U.S. Latina population is over 30 million [19]; thus, research examining alcohol use and misuse among Latinas must be a public health priority. I am an Assistant Professor at a supportive research oriented Hispanic Serving Institution and committed to a lifelong career of conducting research designed to reduce alcohol-related health disparities among Latinxs. The training and research activities in this K01 application will address two major gaps in the literature on alcohol use among Latinas in the U.S. Specifically, more research is needed to understand the most current patterns of alcohol use and misuse among Latinas at the population level. Examinations of current national data devoted exclusively to U.S. Latinas is scarce, particularly relative to the size of the Latina population. Also, the small body of literature examining gender role norms in relation to alcohol use among Latinas is extremely limited, although this same literature highlights the importance of understanding this link. Current research cannot address how shifts in salient gender role expectations transmitted in a bicultural context relate to drinking (or abstaining) among Latinas. To effectively inform culturally tailored alcohol prevention and treatment programs that serve the U.S. Latina population, it is crucial for researchers to address these major gaps in the literature. To this end, I propose implementing complementary methods. First, I will use complex survey analysis across three national datasets to draw directly from the most current national data available to assess alcohol use and misuse among Latinas. Next, I will conduct qualitative research so that I may tease out the complexities of drinking-related gender role expectations – from both traditional Latin culture and mainstream U.S. culture – that are experienced by Latinas in the U.S. Themes that are gleaned from these discussions will be used to generate items for a quantitative measure that captures how bicultural gender role expectations contribute to drinking behaviors among Latinas. This final phase of my training will inform an R01 submission, which will pilot and validate the measure that I will begin developing as a K01 awardee. Highlighting the “full circle” nature of this training, my R01 application will include validating the measure among a national sample of U.S. Latinas. With a team of world-class mentors, this project will address two major research gaps in the literature on alcohol use among Latinas and will also afford me expertise to continue tackling major gaps in the literature using a holistic and complementary skillset of scientific methods.

PROJECT NARRATIVE Many alcohol-related health problems (e.g., cirrhosis of the liver) disproportionately affect Latinx Americans, and evidence that Latina women may be disproportionately affected by some alcohol-related health problems (e.g., brain damage) as compared to Latinos is growing, underscoring the public health significance of examining alcohol use among Latinas. To this end, the research proposed in this K01 application will first examine national data to assess patterns of alcohol use and misuse that are the most reflective of the current U.S. Latina population, and next use a sequential mixed methods approach to identify and assess salient and important drinking-related gender role expectations that are endorsed by Latina women. This project seeks to triangulate across distinct and complementary research methods to comprehensively address major gaps in the literature on alcohol use among U.S. Latinas, in an effort to benefit future prevention and treatment programs designed to reduce alcohol-related health disparities in an increasingly at-risk group.