Ethnic–Racial Socialization, Social Bonds, and College Student Substance Use

ABSTRACTUsing survey data from a diverse college student sample (N = 1,728), this study tested how three types of parental ethnic-racial socialization received during the respondents’ youth were indirectly associated with substance use through their impact on the development of social bonds. Cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages indirectly decreased substance use, while promotion of mistrust messages indirectly increased substance use. By-group analyses indicated some ethnic and gender differences. Overall, the findings point to the importance of examining ethnic-racial socialization as a multidimensional construct in relation to social bonds to understand its impact on young adult substance use.