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Sexual orientation and alcohol use: identity versus behavior measures
Lorraine T Midanik1, Laurie Drabble, Karen Trocki
1Alcohol Research Group, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA. Imidanik@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Journal of LGBT Health Research
|November 22, 2007
Summary
Measuring sexual orientation using both identity and behavior is crucial for understanding women's alcohol use and related problems. For men, measurement method did not consistently impact results.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Psychology
Background:
- Limited national studies comprehensively assess alcohol consumption, alcohol-related issues, and sexual orientation.
- Existing alcohol surveys often use only a single measure for sexual orientation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare two distinct methods of measuring sexual orientation.
- To investigate the association of each sexual orientation measure with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey (N = 7,612) of U.S. adults.
- Assessed sexual orientation via self-reported identity and sexual behavior.
- Measured alcohol use and problems including drinks consumed, heavy drinking frequency, social consequences, and alcohol dependence.
Main Results:
- For men, no consistent pattern in alcohol use or problems emerged based on sexual orientation measurement.
- For women, bisexual identity or behavior correlated with higher alcohol use and problems compared to heterosexual identity or behavior.
- Relying solely on sexual behavior measures underestimated alcohol-related consequences and dependence among lesbian individuals.
Conclusions:
- Employing both identity and behavior measures for sexual orientation is valuable, especially for women, in alcohol research.
- This approach enhances the accurate assessment of alcohol use and related problems within diverse sexual orientation groups.
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