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Stressors in early adolescence linked to later binge drinking in Mexican-origin youth

Early adolescents who reported increases in family and peer stressors were more likely to binge drink, according to a new study from researchers with the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State.
According to the researchers, the study highlights the need for evidence-based interventions to help reduce stress and protect Mexican-origin youth from engaging in alcohol use. The study was published in the journal Developmental Psychology.
“We found that increases in both family and peer stressors were associated with increases in binge drinking from middle adolescence to young adulthood, but increases in those stressors were not associated with an increase in alcohol use frequency,” said Griselda Martinez, lead author of the paper who earned a doctoral degree in human development and family studies from Penn State in 2022.
“This interesting finding suggests that teens who experience increases in stressors across ages 10 to 16 may be more likely to binge drink later. We defined binge drinking as four or more drinks for females and five or more drinks for males. Future research should examine risk and protective factors at the individual, family, and community level that may help us understand how to reduce the risk of stressors leading to alcohol use across adolescence and into young adulthood.”
The study used longitudinal data from 674 Mexican-origin adolescents, one-quarter of whom were born in Mexico. In early adolescence—ages 10 to 16—participants responded to surveys about their experiences of family and peer stressors, such as having a disagreement or fight with a close friend. In repeated surveys across ages 16 to 23, they reported how often, if ever, they drank alcohol and binge drank.
According to Mayra Bámaca, associate professor of developmental psychology at UC Merced, co-author of the paper and Martinez’s primary graduate adviser, the study adds to the growing amount of research that is filling gaps in developmental and alcohol-related research in minoritized populations.
“Research with a focus on minoritized populations has increased exponentially in the last two decades, but much of this work has been cross-sectional—examining these populations at a single point in time. Longitudinal studies—those that follow participants over an extended period—are scarce,” Bámaca said. “The Hispanic/Latino population has reached nearly 20% of the population of the United States, making it the second largest ethnic group in the country, so it is imperative that research starts to focus on the long-term health of this group.”
Conducting research is key to graduate student career preparation
Martinez is now a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington. She said the opportunity to conduct research as a Penn State graduate student, supported by the National Institutes of Health predoctoral fellowship in substance use prevention and methodology, helped her develop skills that she continues to apply in her current role.
“I had the opportunity to work on research studies, participate in conference presentations, and publish in academic journals,” she said. “The skills I developed in conducting research have been instrumental in my career development as a developmental scientist studying the etiology and prevention of substance use and internalizing mental health problems among adolescents and young adults.”
According to Jennifer Maggs, professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, co-author of the paper and another of Martinez’s graduate advisers, said “the intensive, hands-on research mentoring Dr. Martinez received in Dr. Bámaca’s lab, and the opportunities to develop, present and publish her own independent research projects have been pivotal in launching her research career in developmental and prevention science.”
Originally published in January 2025.