The impact of gender on alcohol use in peer drinking contexts

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PROJECT TITLE: The impact of gender on alcohol use in peer drinking contexts PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The aim of this mixed-methods research is to examine the impact of gender identification and group dynamics on alcohol-related decision making in peer social contexts for emerging adults. While alcohol use and consequences are highest among emerging adults (18-25 year olds) compared to other age groups, little is known about how gender identification and gender dynamics impact alcohol use in this population. In human research, sex typically denotes biology (male-female) while gender refers to identity (e.g., cisgender [where sex assigned at birth and gender identity match], gender diverse [where sex assigned at birth does not match gender identity]). Despite evidence of a narrowing gap in terms of sex-based drinking patterns, daily alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking (HED; 5+ drinks per episode) is more common for males than females in emerging adulthood. Gender diverse individuals engage in more HED and have greater odds of reporting alcohol-related negative consequences and suicidal ideation while drinking than cisgender participants. The composition of drinking groups, by both gender and size, influence alcohol consumption. Mixed-gender groups (composed of men and women) and other-gender groups (composed of people whose gender differs from that of the drinker) promote greater alcohol use, a phenomenon that interacts with group size. Women may also be more likely to perceive threats in social contexts involving alcohol and engage in protective behavioral strategies to mitigate harms from drinking than men (e.g., eating before drinking, leaving a drinking venue at a specific time). As research typically focuses on putative cisgender samples, less is known about how gender diversity in drinking groups impacts consumption. We will recruit 260 participants between the ages of 18 - 25 years who endorse being cisgender (n = 180) and gender diverse (transmasculine, transfeminine, nonbinary; n = 80). Using automated simulation methods online, we will determine how group size, gender identification and gender dynamics, including perceived gender match- mismatch and gender constellation of the group, impact behavioral willingness to drink in peer social contexts. Using open-ended cognitive assessment techniques and structured interviews with a subset of participants (n = 80), we will further identify how gender identification and social characteristics of drinking contexts (group size, gender dynamics) elicit differential responding in terms of perceived risk from drinking and identification of potential protective behavioral strategies, both considered protective against the consequences of risky drinking. The long-term objectives of this line of research are: 1. to understand how gender dynamics convey risk and protection for alcohol-related consequences, and 2. to prevent gender- based health disparities related to problematic alcohol consumption in early adulthood through the development of targeted prevention strategies.