Substance Use & Misuse, Early Online:1–11, 2014 Copyright C  2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN: 1082-6084 print / 1532-2491 online DOI: 10.3109/10826084.2014.913632 ORIGINAL ARTICLE The Influence of Acculturation on Substance Use Behaviors among Latina Sexual Minority Women: The Mediating Role of Discrimination Alicia Matthews 1 , Chien-Ching Li 2 , Frances Aranda 3 , Lourdes Torres 4 , Maria Vargas 5 and Megan Conrad 1 1 University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 2 Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 3 Howard Brown Health Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 4 DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 5 Howard Brown Health Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA Background: A large body of work has demonstrated that sexual minority women have elevated rates of substance use morbidity, as compared with hetero- sexual women, and that this might be especially true for women of color. Objectives: This study examines the influence of acculturation and discrimination on substance use among Latina sexual minority women. Methods: Data were collected from 2007 to 2008 as part of a larger community-based survey in the greater Chicago area. Scales measured discrimination, accul- turation, and substance use. Structural equation mod- eling validated scales and examined their relation- ships, which were further described via mediation analysis. Results: Increased acculturation leads to sub- stance use and this relationship is partially mediated by discrimination (Sobel test = 2.10; p < .05). Conclu- sions/Importance: Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed. Funding was provided by several women’s and public health or- ganizations. Keywords Latina, sexual minority women, acculturation, discrimination, substance use INTRODUCTION In the United States, 29% of women reported binge drink- ing in the previous year, 22% of women used tobacco, and 7% of women reported illicit drug use (SAMHSA, 2011). Substance use and abuse is a leading cause of preventable death, disease, and injury among women in the United States (Danaei et al., 2009). For example, substance use has serious direct implications for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes (Jackson, Covell, The authors would like to thank Amigas Latinas for support in conducting this project as well as Nicole Perez and Alicia Vega for their leadership and dedication in carrying out this research. They would also like to thank community members for their participation in this important study. Address correspondence to Dr Alicia Matthews, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 S Damen Ave, MC 802, Chicago, IL 60612, USA; E-mail: aliciak@uic.edu Drake, & Essock, 2007; Sullivan & O’Conner, 2004), and plays a role in the majority of AIDS cases among women (Meyer, Springer & Altice, 2011). In addition to health consequences, there are numerous negative social and personal consequences of substance use including impaired interpersonal relationships, addiction, impaired cognitive functioning, decreased productivity, and drug-induced death (Bouchery, Harwood, Sacks, Simon, & Brewer, 2011; Grifin, Bang, & Botvin, 2010). A large body of work has demonstrated that compared to heterosexual women, sexual minority women (SMW: les- bians or bisexuals, women who partner with women, and women who have sex with women) have elevated rates of substance use morbidity (Bloomield, Wicki, Wilsnack, Hughes, & Gmel, 2011; Dermody et al., 2013; Drabble, Trocki, Hughes, Korcha, & Lown, 2013; McCabe, West, Hughes, & Boyd, 2013). For example, McCabe, Hughes, Bostwick, West, & Boyd (2009) examined substance use disorder prevalence rates based on sexual orienta- tion in a nationally representative sample of women. Self-identiied lesbians had greater odds of past-year marijuana and drug use, as well as alcohol and other drug dependence, than heterosexual women. Further, bisexual women had greater odds of past-year heavy drinking, marijuana and other drug use, and alcohol dependence compared to heterosexual women. A meta-analysis concluded that SMW have 400% higher odds of devel- oping substance abuse compared to heterosexual women (Marshal et al., 2008). Despite the known excess risk for substance use among SMW, there is little information about the factors contributing to elevated drug use in this population. To that end, a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) stressed the importance of identifying correlates of known health disparities among women 1 Subst Use Misuse Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by University of Kentucky on 09/10/14 For personal use only.