Sexual Minority Youth Alcohol Use: Risk and Protective Factors

描述（由申请人提供）：过度饮酒和酒精使用障碍（AUD）是美国主要的公共卫生问题。过度饮酒每年造成近2 250亿美元的经济损失和8万多人死亡。性少数青年;女同性恋/男同性恋，双性恋，变性人和酷儿/质疑[LGBTQ+]）由于其作为性和性别少数群体的独特经历（例如，歧视、受害）。他们过度饮酒的倾向使他们面临更大的不良后果风险，包括发生AUD和酒精相关的发病率和死亡率。国家卫生研究所和医学研究所都表示，研究人员需要解决性少数群体之间的健康差距。尽管确定了SMY和年轻人过度饮酒的风险增加，但研究人员尚未全面了解可改变的人际关系（与同龄人和父母的关系）和环境因素（学校气氛）如何影响他们的酒精使用。因此，现有研究中存在很大的差距，关于异性恋者和SMY之间以及SMY亚群（按性别，性少数地位和种族/民族区分）之间的风险和保护因素指标如何不同。因此，没有经验验证的预防或干预方案解决SMY和年轻成人饮酒问题。该国家研究服务奖（F32）将为申请人提供解决SMY健康差距所需的培训和资源，为作为新兴学者在该领域继续工作奠定基础。为了实现职业和研究目标，申请人需要在以下方面进行培训：（1）调查性少数人群之间的健康差异，（2）发展背景下酒精使用的病因学和流行病学，以及（3）测试发展过程和环境影响的复杂定量方法。该培训计划将指导研究项目与课程，研讨会和会议相结合，使申请人能够建立一个强大而有影响力的研究计划，解决有助于SMY酒精使用的可修改的人际和环境因素。本申请涉及三个研究目标：（1）确定有助于SMY和年轻成年人饮酒的可修改的人际和背景风险和保护因素;（2）测试可修改的人际和背景风险的影响， SMY（例如，SMY特定的家庭支持，受害，学校的气氛），有助于SMY和年轻的成年人饮酒;（3）构建性少数群体饮酒的发展理论模型，将作为编写K 01奖的基础，在申请人职业生涯的后期阶段测试这些理论协会和命题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Excessive alcohol use and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are a leading public health concern in the United States. Excessive alcohol consumption is related to nearly $225 billion in economic costs and over 80,000 fatalities annually. Sexual minority youth (SMY; lesbian/gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning [LGBTQ+]) are at heightened risk for mental health symptoms and alcohol use due to their unique experiences as sexual and gender minorities (e.g., discrimination, victimization). Their propensity for excessive alcohol use puts them at greater risk for adverse consequences, including the development of an AUD and alcohol related morbidity and mortality. Both the National Institute of Health and the Institute of Medicine have expressed the need for researchers to address health disparities among sexual minorities. Despite identifying the elevated risk for excessive alcohol use among SMY and young adults, researchers have yet to build a comprehensive picture of how modifiable interpersonal (relationships with peers and parents) and contextual (school climate) factors influence their alcohol use. Consequently, there are large gaps in the available research regarding how indicators of risk and protective factors differ between heterosexual and SMY and among subpopulations of SMY (differentiated by gender, sexual minority status, and race/ethnicity). As such, there are no empirically validated prevention or intervention programs addressing SMY and young adult alcohol use. This National Research Service Award (F32) will provide the applicant with the training and resources necessary to address SMY health disparities, setting the stage for continued work in this area as an emerging scholar. To accomplish career and research goals, the applicant requires training in (1) investigating health disparities among sexual minority populations, (2) etiology and epidemiology of alcohol use within a developmental context, and (3) complex quantitative methodologies testing developmental processes and contextual influences. The training program combines mentored research projects with coursework, workshops, and conferences to enable the applicant to build a strong and influential program of research addressing the modifiable interpersonal and contextual factors that contribute to SMY alcohol use. Three research aims are addressed in the current application: (1) Identify modifiable interpersonal and contextual risk and protective factors that contribute to SMY and young adult alcohol use; (2) test the influence of modifiable interpersonal and contextual risk and protective factors unique to SMY (e.g., SMY-specific family support, victimization, school climate) that contribute to SMY and young adult alcohol use; and (3) construct a developmental theoretical model of sexual minority alcohol use that will act as the foundation for writing a K01 award that tests these theoretical associations and propositions at later stages of the applicants career.