title: Race, Coping Style, and Substance Use Disorder Among Non-Hispanic African American and White Young Adults in South Florida.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite their higher rates of stress, African American young adults tend toward similar or lower rates of substance misuse than their White counterparts. Arguably, such patterns derive from: (1) racial variations in the availability of coping strategies that mitigate stress; and/or (2) racial differences in the efficacy of available coping styles for reducing substance misuse.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed whether two coping style types-problem-focused and avoidance-oriented-varied by race (non-Hispanic African American vs. non-Hispanic White) and whether the effects of coping styles on substance misuse were moderated by race.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from a community sample of South Florida young adults, we employed logistic regression analyses to examine racial differences in coping style and to test if race by coping style interactions (race × problem-focused coping and race × avoidance-oriented coping) influenced the odds of qualifying for a DSM-IV substance use disorder, net of lifetime stressful events and sociodemographic controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that African American young adults displayed lower problem-focused coping, and higher avoidance-oriented coping, than did White young adults. Among both African American and White respondents, problem-focused coping was associated with reduced odds of illicit drug use disorder (excluding marijuana), and among Whites, avoidance-oriented coping was associated with increased odds of an aggregate measure of alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use disorders. Among African Americans, however, avoidance-oriented coping was associated with lower odds of marijuana use disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Substance misuse policies and practices that consider the sociocultural contexts of stress and coping are recommended.
authors.affiliation: a Sociology, University of New Hampshire , Durham , New Hampshire , USA.
authors.forename: Karen T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Van Gundy
authors.affiliation: b Criminal Justice , Salem State University , Salem , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Howerton-Orcutt
authors.affiliation: c Sociology Department , Birmingham-Southern College , Birmingham , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Meghan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: avoidance-oriented coping; problem-focused coping; race; stressful life events; substance use disorder