Sexual Orientation and Correlates of Alcohol Problems

描述(申请人提供)：项目摘要/摘要。根据PA-08-168(现有酒精流行病学数据的二次分析)，这份R21申请提出了一种混合方法，对性少数群体中的药物使用/滥用中间人进行调查，并特别强调妇女。尽管越来越多的证据表明，性少数群体在危险和其他药物使用风险方面存在差异，但明确审查可能在这些人口亚群中调解这类问题的因素的研究已经死亡。样本将根据性/身份和行为问题(确定的女同性恋者/男同性恋者、确定的双性恋者和认同同性伴侣的异性恋者，最后是异性恋男性和女性)分为不同的小组。第一个具体目标主要是定量分析2000-2001年(NAS10)、2005-2006年(NAS11)收集的国家酒精调查数据和目前正在收集的2009-2010年(NAS12)数据。第二个目标是对从NAS12受访者中抽取的48名妇女(每组12人)进行定性访谈，深入探索定量测量的中介因素，并试图了解可能导致酗酒和与酒精相关的问题的其他未测量的途径。NAS是一个独特的数据来源，非常适合这项研究的第一个目标，因为它包括许多物质使用的理论中介以及基本的酒精流行病学变量。调节因素包括文献提出的个体和背景标记物，包括压力、社会支持、连贯感、冲动和感觉寻求、过去的创伤经历、经常去酒吧和其他饮酒环境。两个拟议的PIs对NAS10数据的分析显示，这些亚组之间在药物使用衡量标准上存在显著差异，特别是在妇女中。此外，对一些调解人的初步调查发现，物质使用预测因素随着性别和性少数亚群的不同而不同。定性访谈还将探索新的主题和新兴理论，这些问题和新兴理论没有量化数据。 公共卫生相关性：该项目加深了我们对性少数群体中危险饮酒、与酒精有关的问题和吸毒风险增加的理解，这一点在女性中尤为明显。医学研究所(IOM)关于女同性恋者健康的报告确定，这种关于健康风险具体差异的动态变化的知识是制定临床和公共卫生干预措施的基础。了解可能增加或缓冲性少数群体(和非少数群体)危险饮酒风险的具体因素，为制定符合文化和性别特点的预防和干预战略奠定了基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary/Abstract. This R21 application in response to PA-08-168 (Secondary Analysis of Existing Alcohol Epidemiological Data) proposes a mixed methods investigation of mediators of substance use/abuse among sexual minorities with additional emphasis on women. Despite growing evidence of disparities in risks for hazardous and other drug use among sexual minorities, there is a death of research that explicitly examines factors that may mediate such problems in these population subgroups. The sample will be divided into subgroups based on sexual/identity and behavior questions (lesbian/gay identified, bisexual identified, and heterosexual identified with same sex partners and, finally, exclusively heterosexual men and women). The first specific aim is primarily quantitative, analyzing secondary combined data from the National Alcohol Surveys collected in 2000-2001 (NAS10), 2005-2006 (NAS11) and data currently being collected 2009-2010 (NAS12). The second aim is to conduct qualitative interviews with a subgroup of 48 (12 in each group) women drawn from the NAS12 respondents to do depth exploration of the quantitatively measured mediators and seek to understand other, unmeasured pathways, that may contribute to heavier drinking and alcohol related problems. The NAS is a unique data source ideally suited to the first aim of this study since it includes numerous theoretical mediators of substance use as well as basic alcohol epidemiology variables. Mediators include both individual and contextual markers suggested by the literature including stress, social support, sense of coherence, impulsivity and sensation seeking, past experiences of trauma, and frequenting bars and other drinking contexts. Analysis of the NAS10 data by the two proposed PIs revealed significant differences among these subgroups on substance use measures, particularly among women. Additionally, initial investigation of some mediators found substance use predictors varied as a function of gender and sexual minority subgroup. The qualitative interviews will also explore novel topics and emerging theories for which no quantitative data is available. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project furthers our understanding of the increased risk for hazardous alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and drug use among sexual minorities, which is especially pronounced among women. Such knowledge about the dynamics of specific disparities in health risks was identified by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on lesbian health as fundamental to development of both clinical and public health interventions. Understanding specific factors that may increase or buffer risk for hazardous drinking among sexual minorities (and non-minorities) provides a foundation for the development of culturally and gender appropriate prevention and intervention strategies.