title: Traditions and alcohol use: a mixed-methods analysis.
abstract: An integrative mixed-methods analysis examined traditional beliefs as associated with beliefs about self-care during pregnancy and with alcohol abstinence among young adult women from two rural U.S.-Mexico border communities. Quantitative (measured scale) variables and qualitative thematic variables generated from open-ended responses served as within-time predictors of these health-related outcomes. A weaker belief that life is better in big cities was associated with stronger self-care beliefs during pregnancy. Also, a weaker belief that small towns offer tranquil environments was associated with total abstinence from alcohol. Regarding the Hispanic Paradox, these results suggest that a critical appreciation of cultural traditions can be protective, as this avoids stereotypical or idyllic views of urban or rural lifeways, and promotes self-protective beliefs and behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA. felipe.castro@asu.edu
authors.forename: Felipe González
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Coe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology*; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D011584:Psychology / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D013695:Temperance