Chunk #94 — Theory of Heightened Risk of Drinking and Problems among Low-Income African American Men — Access to Standard Life Reinforcers — African American men versus African American women
As we noted above, African American women are less likely to consume alcohol than African American men. One reason may be increased access to some SLRs for African American women. Current research shows that among African Americans, African American women are more likely to be the sole caregiver for children (Holzer et al., 2005). McKinnon (2003) reported that 43% of African American families were maintained by women with no spouse present compared to 9% that were maintained solely by men. We believe the responsibility of caring for dependents reduces the risk of substance abuse in three ways. First, as we noted above, the role of caring for offspring enables African American women to meet the basic needs of relatedness and competence (Deci & Ryan, 2002): caring for one’s children is profoundly meaningful and hence reinforcing. Second, sobriety must be maintained to effectively care for one’s children. Third, because African American communities typically have a strong female presence, it is likely that many African American women care for other children, even if they are not their biological offspring (Burton et al.,
