Testing associations among sexual identity, race/ethnicity, relationship characteristics, and hazardous drinking

摘要 性少数群体女性(SMW；女同性恋、双性恋)达到以下标准的可能性是异性恋女性的11倍 酒精依赖，报告为酒精相关问题寻求帮助的可能性是8倍，这表明 危险饮酒(HD)和相关的健康风险高得不成比例。HD作为一种 包括大量饮酒、醉酒、不良饮酒后果和酒精症状的指数 依赖。SMW患HD的高风险与终身暴露于多种慢性应激源有关。尽管 压力和饮酒之间的联系已经确立，对人际关系之间的联系知之甚少， 同性女性伴侣中的压力和酒精使用。亲密关系会带来很多好处，而且是保护性的 对抗与压力相关的负面健康后果。相反，人际关系压力可能会导致不健康的应对行为， 例如HD。尽管美国超过一半的SMW已婚或同居，而且估计表明 多达50%的同性伴侣将在最高法院关于婚姻平等的裁决后三年内结婚，有 关于SMW的亲密关系和健康的研究很少，关于这些联系的研究更少 SMW的颜色。鉴于危险饮酒是#年与性取向有关的最突出的健康差距之一 对于女性来说，迫切需要了解酒精在SMW亲密关系中的作用。这是一项国家服务 研究奖(F32)申请将培训和研究相结合，旨在发展申请者在酒精方面的专长 研究和与性取向相关的健康差距，首要目标是支持候选人 成为一名独立研究员，最终目标是在一所主要的研究型大学获得教职 并对与性取向相关的健康差距进行研究。为了实现她的事业和研究目标， 申请者要求接受以下方面的培训：(1)法定最低限度妇女的健康，重点是危险饮酒；(2)种族/族裔差异和 交叉性；(3)复杂的数据分析；(4)专业发展，包括竞争性赠款申请和 手稿写作。该培训计划将指导与课程作业、研讨会和会议相结合，以实现 申请者需要建立一个强大而有影响力的研究计划，解决关键的人际和背景因素 这是SMW危险饮酒的原因之一。在拟议的研究中，我们将检查关系特征和 有害饮酒，考虑到SMW关系存在的更大背景，包括种族/族裔 在多重应激源对饮酒和与饮酒相关的结果的潜在影响上的性别认同差异。我们 我们将使用丰富的数据集来解决以下研究目标：(1)使用大量、多样化的SMW样本，我们将测试两个 相互竞争的模型--无论性别认同和种族/民族的影响是：a)相加还是b)在 关系状况与危险饮酒之间的关系。(2)。横断面和纵向检验 关系状况、种族/民族、压力和危险饮酒之间的关系。

Abstract Sexual minority women (SMW; lesbian, bisexual) are 11 times as likely as heterosexual women to meet criteria for alcohol dependence, and 8 times as likely to report seeking help for alcohol-related problems, indicating a disproportionately high risk of hazardous drinking (HD) and associated health risks. HD is operationalized as an index that includes heavy episodic drinking, intoxication, adverse drinking consequences, and symptoms of alcohol dependence. SMW's high risk for HD has been linked to lifetime exposure to multiple and chronic stressors. Although the association between stress and alcohol use is well-established, little is known about the association between relationships, stress, and alcohol use among same-sex female couples. Intimate relationships confer many benefits, and are protective against stress-related negative health outcomes. Conversely, relationship stress may lead to unhealthy coping behaviors, such as HD. Although more than half of SMW in the United States are married or cohabiting, and estimates suggest that up to 50% of same-sex couples will marry within three years of the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, there is a paucity of research on SMW's intimate relationships and health, and even less research on these associations among SMW of color. Given that hazardous drinking is among the most prominent sexual-orientation-related health disparities in women, there is a critical need to understand the role of alcohol in SMW's intimate relationships. This National Service Research Award (F32) application integrates training and research designed to develop the applicant's expertise in alcohol research and sexual-orientation-related health disparities, with the overarching aim of supporting the candidate in becoming an independent researcher with the ultimate goal of obtaining a faculty position at a major research university and conducting research on sexual-orientation-related health disparities. To accomplish her career and research goals, the applicant requires training in: (1) SMW's health with a focus on hazardous drinking, (2) racial/ethnic disparities and intersectionality, (3) complex data analysis, and (4) professional development, including competitive grant application and manuscript writing. This training program combines mentorship with coursework, seminars, and conferences to enable the applicant to build a strong and impactful program of research addressing critical interpersonal and contextual factors that contribute to SMW's hazardous drinking. In the proposed research, we will examine relationship characteristics and hazardous drinking by taking into account the larger context in which SMW relationships exist, including racial/ethnic and sexual identity differences in the potential effects of multiple stressors on drinking and drinking-related outcomes. We will use a rich dataset to address the following research aims: (1) Using a large, diverse sample of SMW, we will test two competing models—whether the effects of sexual identity and race/ethnicity are: a) additive or b) multiplicative in the associations between relationship status and hazardous drinking. (2). Cross-sectionally and longitudinally examine associations among relationship status, race/ethnicity, stress, and hazardous drinking.