Experiences of Rural Sexual and Gender Minority Couples: Does Alcohol Use Explain the Link Between Minority Stress and Intimate Partner Discord and Violence

项目总结/摘要 酒精使用和破坏性的夫妻冲突，包括亲密伴侣暴力（IPV），代表了双重公众 性和性别少数群体（SGM）的健康威胁，这些问题的发生率高于 他们的顺性和异性伴侣。尽管更广泛的文献将酒精使用与 破坏性的夫妇冲突，很少有工作已经检查了这些协会在SGM夫妇。在这里，我们借鉴 酒精近视理论，并提出增加每日饮酒量将与较高的同一天 SGM夫妇之间的破坏性冲突水平。此外，我们预测，更多的饮酒，以科普动机和 更高水平的内化少数民族压力（即，害怕被拒绝，担心隐瞒，内化 同性恋恐惧症/跨性别恐惧症）将加剧日常少数民族压力（暴露于 歧视、骚扰和污名化）以及随后的破坏性冲突。 重要的是，这些过程将在居住在中西部农村的SGM夫妇的样本中进行检查， 这是研究的关键，因为越来越多的类型和频率的耻辱遇到的人口 生活在农村地区的SGM个体与生活在城市地区的SGM个体相比。最后，我们测试假设， 少数族裔压力对酗酒和破坏性夫妇冲突的有害影响将通过以下措施得到缓解 更大的（a）来自人际关系的社会支持，（B）与 LGBTQ+社区，以及（c）与中西部农村社区的心理感。 参加者将是200对SGM夫妇（即，两个人都认为自己是女同性恋，男同性恋，双性恋，变性人， 和/或同性恋，并在一个承诺的亲密关系）。将从中西部招募夫妇 LGBTQ+研究登记处，由MPI建立。我们提出的模型将使用密集的 每日日记法采用超过60天，以跟踪少数民族的压力，酒精使用， 毁灭性的冲突。该项目的发现将提供有关日常生活条件的新数据， 少数民族的压力通过增加农村人口的酒精使用， SGM夫妇。我们对支持和基于社区的复原力因素的研究将突出潜在的 可以有针对性地中断少数群体压力对酒精使用的有害影响的干预点， 随后发生亲密伴侣冲突和暴力。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Alcohol use and destructive couple conflict, including intimate partner violence (IPV), represent dual public health threats for sexual and gender minorities (SGM), who experience higher rates of these problems than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. Although a broader literature links alcohol use to increased rates of destructive couple conflict, very little work has examined these associations in SGM couples. Here, we draw on alcohol myopia theory and propose that increased daily alcohol use will be associated with higher same-day levels of destructive conflict among SGM couples. Further, we predict that greater drinking to cope motives and higher levels of internalized minority stress (i.e., fear of rejection, worry about concealment, internalized homophobia/transphobia) assessed at baseline will exacerbate the effects of daily minority stress (exposure to discrimination, harassment, and stigmatization) on alcohol use and subsequent destructive conflict. Importantly, these processes will be examined in a sample of SGM couples residing in the rural Midwest—a population that is critical to study because of the increased types and frequency of stigma encountered by SGM individuals living in rural areas as compared to more urban locations. Finally, we test the hypothesis that the detrimental impact of minority stress on alcohol use and destructive couple conflict will be mitigated by greater (a) social support from interpersonal relationships, (b) psychological sense of connection with the LGBTQ+ community, and (c) psychological sense of community with one's rural Midwestern neighborhood. Participants will be 200 SGM couples (i.e., both individuals identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer, and are in a committed intimate relationship). Couples will be recruited from the Midwestern LGBTQ+ Research Registry, established by the MPIs. Our proposed models will be tested using intensive daily diary methods employed over 60 days to track daily experiences of minority stress, alcohol use, and destructive conflict. Findings from this project will provide novel data about the conditions under which daily minority stress contribute to elevated levels of destructive couple conflict via increased alcohol use by rural SGM couples. Our examination of support and community-based resiliency factors will highlight potential points of intervention that can be targeted to interrupt the harmful effects of minority stress on alcohol use and subsequent intimate partner conflict and violence.