Study to examine alcohol abuse within LGB community
The University of Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions will be starting up a study examining the links between and the effects of alcohol use and abuse within the lesbian, gay and bisexual community.
According to an article from 365gay.com, the study is considered to be one of the largest of its kind:
The five-year study will involve 400 gay and bi men and women. The research will include alcohol use and interpersonal violence, “including childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence” said Dr. Amy Hequembourg who will lead the study.
There are a range of risk and protective factors associated with alcohol use and victimization among individuals who face stress associated with social stigmatization of their sexual identities, according to Hequembourg.
She will investigate social support systems, involvement in GLB community activities, and relationships with family, friends, and coworkers.
“Understanding risk and protective factors for this population could greatly enhance the effectiveness of alcohol and victimization prevention, early intervention and treatment efforts,” Hequembourg said.
The funding for the study came from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the form of a $579,325 grant.
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It’ll be good to see the results of this study. We’ve known for some time that alcohol abuse is higher within the LGBT community, as it is higher in many minority communities. Hequembourg is absolutely correct in saying that there are huge risk factors for alcohol abuse present within the LGBT community, a community which “faces stress associated with social stigmatization” because of their sexuality. So that part we’ve already known.
What we don’t know are the details (or at least, I’ve never heard them). Which persons within the LGBT community are more likely to abuse alcohol? Which persons within the LGBT community carry higher risk factors? What specific causes or influences are present within the LGBT community affecting these risk factors? What is the rate of treatment for alcohol abuse within the LGBT community? What is the rate of “survivors” of alcoholism within the LGBT community.
All of these things will be good to know and I hope they will be revealed in the results of the study.
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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