Romantic Relationships, Discrimination Stressors, and Alcohol Use among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults

Project summary Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults disproportionately experience the burden of alcohol use. Compared to cisgender straight individuals, SGM adults are more likely to drink heavily and experience alcohol-related problems. Stressors—including discrimination and stigma—may explain these disparities. Yet romantic partners may help to buffer against these stressors. The

current project examines how romantic relationships are associated with alcohol use among SGM and cisgender straight couples. Data are drawn from the National Couples Health and Time (NCHAT) study, a nationally representative dataset of cohabiting and married couples collected between 2020-2021 that oversampled individuals in same-gender couples and

includes detailed measures for the main respondent (N=3,642), a separate survey of spouses/partners (N=1,515), and appended measures of the broader state context. The study has two primary aims. Aim 1 will examine whether romantic partnership characteristics (e.g., couple satisfaction, relationship risk, negative interaction) are associated with alcohol use (e.g.,

alcohol-related coping, heavy drinking, alcohol problems). We will examine whether patterns differ for cisgender straight and SGM couples (i.e., between-person differences) as well as examine associations separately for gay men, lesbian women, bisexual men and bisexual women (i.e., documenting within-group associations). Aim 2 examines how discrimination

stressors—of individuals, partners, and broader contexts—shape alcohol use. We identify resilience factors (e.g., emotional support, couple satisfaction) that buffer against the association between stress and alcohol use for SGM adults. This aim will be tested using actor partner interdependence models (APIM) within a multi-level modeling framework. Findings from

the rigorous secondary analyses of this unique, nationally-representative sample of SGM adults will inform policy, identify potential harm reduction strategies, and help target intervention programs to those who need them most.