Perceived discrimination enhances the association between distress and impact related to the murder of George Floyd and unhealthy alcohol use in a survey sample of U.S. Veterans who report drinking

• Published in: Addictive behaviors reports Vol. 17; p. 100481
• Main Authors: Cano, Monique T., Reavis, Jill V., Pennington, David L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alcohol use; Perceived discrimination; Research paper; Social justice; Veterans; Vicarious racism; Perceived discrimination; Social justice; Veterans; Vicarious racism; Alcohol use
• ISSN: 2352-8532; 2352-8532
• DOI: 10.1016/j.abrep.2023.100481

•Vicarious racism and perceived discrimination are sources of distress and are associated with increased alcohol use.•Perceived discrimination plays a role in how a socially unjust negative event—like the murder of George Floyd—relates to problematic alcohol use.•Veterans who reported perceived discrimination had more severe alcohol-related problems than Veterans who reported no discrimination.•Racial/ethnic minorities reported experiencing greater subjective impact related to the murder of George Floyd.•Incorporating screening tools and having systems in place within substance use clinics that require clinicians to inquire about discrimination history in a culturally sensitive manner is recommended. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer leading to increased social justice and antiracism movements (SJARM) across the United States. Vicarious exposure to racism and perceived discrimination are salient sources of distress which may lead to increased alcohol use as means of coping. The primary aim of the current study was to examine how perceived discrimination and the subjective impact and personal distress related to the SJARM following the George Floyd murder interact and relate to unhealthy alcohol use among U.S. Veterans. 286 Veterans were assessed for unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-10), perceived discrimination (EDS), and subjective impact and personal distress related to the SJARM. Two moderation analyses were performed to examine whether subjective impact and personal distress moderated relations between perceived discrimination and alcohol use. In-depth follow-up analyses were conducted to examine differences and relationships among variables. In two different moderation models, perceived discrimination moderated the association between both subjective impact (p <.001) and personal distress (p <.001) felt by the SJARM and unhealthy alcohol use. In planned exploratory analyses, Veterans who reported perceived discrimination reported higher levels of unhealthy alcohol use (M = 14.71, SD = 9.39) than those who did not t(284) = 5.61, p <.001. In post-hoc analyses, racial/ethnic minorities were significantly more likely to report perceived racial discrimination (p <.001) while non-Hispanic Whites were more likely to report perceived discrimination based on education or income level (p <.01). In the context of a socially unjust event amidst a global pandemic, perceived discrimination contributes to unhealthy alcohol use and subjective impact and personal distress associated with the SJARM following the murder of George Floyd. Results highlight the importance of addressing discrimination experiences in Veterans who seek alcohol treatment, particularly as rates of unhealthy alcohol use are on the rise.