Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Alcohol Use Among Black African Emerging Adults In the United States

Background and Purpose
Alcohol use among emerging adults is a major public health concern. Yet Black African emerging adults (ages 18-29) in the United States remain underrepresented in substance use research, limiting culturally responsive prevention efforts and equitable health outcomes. Black African emerging adults navigate intersecting stressors, including migration-related challenges, discrimination, and exposure to violence, while also drawing on culturally grounded strengths. Guided by a risk and resilience framework, this study aimed to: (1) describe alcohol use prevalence and patterns; (2) examine associations between risk factors (adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), community violence, discrimination, acculturation stress, and perceived stress), and alcohol use outcomes; and (3) assess protective roles of grit (passion and perseverance for long-term goals), family cohesion, self-esteem, social support, and religious coping.

Methods
We drew our data from a cross-sectional national online survey conducted between May and July 2025, including 537 Black African emerging adults residing in the United States (125 first-generation and 412 second-generation). Participants were recruited through Dynata’s double opt-in panel. Eligibility criteria included identifying as Black African and being 18-29 years old. Alcohol use outcomes included four measures. Lifetime alcohol use (yes/no), past 30 days use (yes/no), heavy drinking (≥4 drinks per drinking day for males and ≥3 for females), intensity (average drinks per drinking day). Alcohol-related problems were assessed using the 10-item Brief Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (BMAST). Analyses included logistic regression, Firth-penalized logistic regression, negative binomial regression, and multinomial logistic regression.

Results
Prevalence was high, with 70% reporting lifetime alcohol use and 59.4% current use; 22.1% scored in the alcohol-problem range and 6.1% in the likely-dependent range on the BMAST. ACEs emerged as the most consistent risk factor, predicting lifetime use (OR = 1.46), heavy drinking (OR = 1.41), and higher BMAST classification (OR = 2.01–2.43). Direct community violence exposure was strongly associated with likely alcohol dependence (OR = 4.84). Second-generation participants had higher odds of lifetime use. Among protective factors, grit was associated with lower odds of alcohol problems (OR = 0.68), with stronger effects among female participants. Religious coping showed a marginal protective effect for heavy drinking. Also, gender-stratified analyses indicated that community violence exposure was strongly associated with likely dependence for both male participants (OR = 9.80) and female participants (OR = 11.61).

Conclusions and Implications
Findings highlight the role of trauma and structural adversity in shaping alcohol use among Black African emerging adults, alongside protective resilience assets. Advancing social work research in the service of the common good requires trauma-informed, culturally responsive prevention strategies targeting ACEs and community violence. Strengthening assets, such as grit and culturally meaningful coping, may enhance intervention impact. Future research should use longitudinal designs to better understand the temporal relationship between risk and protective factors and alcohol use among Black African emerging adults.