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Abstract #155534

Sarah Boyle, MA and Leslie Fisher, PhD. Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2300 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115, 216-687-3720, sboyle03@jcu.edu

Sexual minority female's sexual behaviors, attractions, and identifications have been found to exhibit a large degree of fluctuation, or fluidity, over-time. This study aimed to quantify this fluidity in order to investigate it's relationships with alcohol consumption and depression. A diverse sample of 420 college-aged, same-sex attracted women were recruited from internet social networks to complete an online questionnaire that included a modified Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, the CES-D, and a measure of weekly alcohol consumption. Fluidity scores were computed by summing the absolute value differences of dimensional ratings of sexual orientation at 3 year intervals, over a 9 year period. One-way analyses of covariance, controlling for sexual abuse history and relationship status, showed that participants reporting high fluidity of sexuality both experienced and expected significantly more depressive symptoms, F(3, 414)= 3.65, p=.013, and greater alcohol consumption, F(3, 414)= 7.82, p< .001, than both the low experienced/low expected and the low experienced/high expected fluidity groups. However, neither present non-exclusive attractions nor sexual identity were significantly related to either dependent variable. The effectiveness of the novel methodology employed in collecting data from this typically hard to reach sub-group of sexual minority women is discussed.

Learning Objectives:

1.Develope an understanding of how sexual orientation fluidity can be measured
• Recognise the relationship between sexual orientation fluidity in women and both depression and alcohol abuse. 3.Evaluate the use of the internet as a means of data collection

Keywords: Sexuality, Alcohol Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.