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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Laurie A. Drabble, PhD, MSW, MPH, College of Social Work, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-0257, (408) 924-5836, ladrabble@aol.com and Lorraine T. Midanik, PhD, School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, 120 Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7400.
Background Previous studies suggest that there are significantly fewer abstainers among lesbians and gay men compared to the general population. Higher rates of reported alcohol-related problems have also been found for lesbians and gay men as compared to the heterosexual population. However, these studies are often based on purposive samples and thus may not be generalizable. The purpose of this study is to compare national rates of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems of bisexual, homosexual and heterosexual respondents. Method The 2000 National Alcohol Survey included 7279 respondents who answered specific behavioral and identity items. Results Overall, 123 (1.7%) were classified as bisexual, 126 (1.7%) as homosexual, and 7030 (96.6%) as heterosexual. Homosexual respondents were most likely to be current drinkers (75%) as compared to bisexual (68%) and heterosexual respondents (59%). For current drinkers (N=4322), women who have sex with women reported significantly higher rates of alcohol consumption (mean=356.7 versus 155.5 drinks/month), number of 5+ days (mean=25.1 versus 7.8), social consequences (mean=0.5 versus 0.1), and dependence symptoms (mean=0.9 versus 0.2) than heterosexual women. There were no differences in the number of harms due to alcohol use for women. Further, there were no significant differences on any of the alcohol scales for men who have sex with men as compared to heterosexual men. Conclusion These findings confirm previous research that bisexual and homosexual individuals have lower rates of abstinence but that women who have sex with women, experience more alcohol-related problems than heterosexual women. (Supported by NIAAA Center Grant P50 AA05595.)
Learning Objectives: Particpants will be able to
Keywords: Alcohol Problems, Lesbian Health
Related Web page: www.arg.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.