ABSTRACT
Significant health disparities continue to persist in the United States. Racial/ethnic minorities who engage in substance use often suffer a disproportionate number of negative consequences, including higher arrest rates and negative health consequences when compared to Whites (Beckett, Nyrop, & Pfingst, 2006). Differences can be found in the frequency of drug use and addiction across racial/ethnic groups (National Survey of Drug Use and Health, 2008) as well as across gender (Grant et al. 2004; Johnston, O'Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2007). It is imperative to understand the factors that may help explain the within and between-group differences among ethnic minority populations and between biological sex (i.e., men and women) in order to provide culturally responsive interventions to these groups. Social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1978, 1986) is a promising framework that can be used to understand the complex role and intersection of race, sex, and gender-relevant factors in explaining within and between-group differences in substance use and abuse. The aim of this chapter is to provide a concise overview of social identity as it pertains to racial and ethnic identity as well as gender-relevant factors including masculine and feminine identities, and review how these social identity factors may explain substance use among racial/ethnic minority men and women.
