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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Heather L. Corliss, MPH, PhD¹, Margaret Rosario, PhD², David Wypij, PhD³, Laurie B. Fisher, SM⁴, and S. Bryn Austin, ScD¹. (1) Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, 617-355-8695, heather.corliss@tch.harvard.edu, (2) Department of Psychology, The City University of New York - City College and Graduate Center, Convent Avenue and 138th Street, NAC Building 7-120, New York, NY 10031, (3) Department of Biostatistics, Harvard Shool of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (4) Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115

Alcohol use among adolescents is linked to numerous health risks and can lead to lifelong problems with substance use. Few studies have examined sexual orientation differences in trajectories of alcohol use overtime in samples of adolescents not selected on the basis of their sexual orientation (e.g., through gay community venues). Using 7 years (1996-2003) of follow-up data from 13,450 participants of the Growing Up Today Study (a prospective cohort study of U.S. adolescents ages 9 to 14 years at enrollment), we compare longitudinal trajectories of alcohol use (e.g., age at first whole alcoholic drink, binge drinking) among those who describe their sexual orientation as heterosexual, “mostly heterosexual,” bisexual, or lesbian/gay. We also examine the influence of psychosocial factors (e.g., self-esteem, depressive symptoms, family cohesion, peer/family substance use, alcohol expectancies) in explaining sexual orientation group differences in alcohol use. Gender-stratified, survival analysis or generalized estimating equations analysis of repeated measures are used. Preliminary results indicate that gay/lesbian (Hazard Ratio [HR]: boys 1.3; girls 1.6), bisexual (HR: 1.5; 2.2), and mostly heterosexual (HR: 1.4; 1.7) boys and girls, respectively, report younger ages of consuming a first whole drink compared to their same-gender heterosexual peers (p<.05). Lesbian/gay (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2.2; 2.0), bisexual (OR: 1.6; 2.8), and mostly heterosexual (OR: 1.7; 1.8) boys and girls are also more likely to report binge drinking in the past year (p<.05). Sexual orientation group differences in alcohol use and related psychosocial factors are discussed in the context of providing public health interventions for sexual minority youth.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe differences in longitudinal trajectories of alcohol use among sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents.
• Identify the role of psychosocial factors in explaining differences in alcohol use trajectories among sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents.
• Recognize the importance of considering sexual orientation when developing public health interventions to prevent alcohol use among adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Alcohol Use

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No