Problem Drinking Among Cambodian Refugees in the United States: How Big of a Problem is It? * (Report‪)‬

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, most ethnic minorities have been underrepresented in alcohol research (Caetano et al., 1998; Harachi et al., 2001). During the last 2 decades, studies have begun to examine drinking patterns among different minority ethnic groups, including blacks and Hispanics (Caetano, 1983, 1987; Farrell and White, 1998; Grant et al., 2004). Nonetheless, the drinking behavior of Asian Americans continues to draw relatively little attention (Harachi et al., 2001; Zane and Huh-Kim, 1994). For example, as of 2001, this ethnic group was not included in some of the most extensive surveys of adolescent alcohol and drug use, such as the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Monitoring the Future (Harachi et al., 2001). Although a few recent studies have examined drinking patterns among Asian American subgroups, such as Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos (Hendershot et al., 2005; Luczak et al., 2001; Wong et al., 2004), there is still a paucity of research on immigrant populations from other Asian countries (e.g., Vietnam, Cambodia; Harachi et al., 2001; Zane and Huh-Kim, 1994). The relative absence of research on one Asian American subgroup in particular (i.e., Cambodian Americans) constitutes a critical gap in the literature. Cambodian Americans--or, more precisely, Cambodian refugees--are widely believed to be at high risk for alcohol problems (D'Avanzo, 1997; O'Hare and Van Tran, 1998). This presumption derives largely from knowledge that Cambodian refugees were subjected to one of the most traumatic periods of the past century before immigrating to the United States (Rummel, 1994). Insofar as a strong association exists between heavy drinking and trauma exposure (Stewart, 1996), Cambodian refugees might be expected to be at increased risk for alcohol-use problems.