Chunk #102 — Theory of Heightened Risk of Drinking and Problems among Low-Income African American Men — Access to Standard Life Reinforcers — SLR access, race, sex, and age
As documented above, access to the SLR of employment appears to be greater for low-income African American women and European American men than for low-income African American males. It is also plausible that because the limited access to SLRs is not likely to improve with age, this subgroup of African American men are also more likely to drink and drink heavily well into later adulthood (James & Johnson, 1996). This may partially account for the stable percentage of heavy alcohol drinkers found among African American men into later adulthood (SAMSHA, 2010). These percentages of heavy alcohol consumption outnumber both African American women and European American men and women, especially in later adulthood (SAMSHA, 2010). Although no longitudinal study examining the course of alcohol use among African American men with extreme disadvantage (i.e., limited SLR access) from adolescence to later adulthood has been conducted, findings from cross-sectional studies provide a partial picture of the risk that is consistent with our model. Lifetime substance use among African Americans is significantly associated with increasing age, male sex, little education (i.e., having less than 12 years of education), and low income (Ford et al., 2007; Gillman et al., 2008; Herd, 1990).
