Hispanic drinkers, problem rates were nearly two times greater than those of whites (14.8% and 11.8% of Hispanics reported consequences and dependence symptoms, respectively). When alcohol dependence was operationalized according to DSM-IV criteria, thus providing a more stringent measure of dependence, we observed an even greater disparity in dependence. African Americans were two times more likely, and Hispanics nearly three times more likely than whites to report DSM-IV alcohol dependence. Given our interest in elucidating alcohol problems among those who currently drink, thereby addressing the ambiguity introduced by differential rates of abstention, remaining analyses were conducted with the sample of current drinkers.
