A theoretical synthesis proposes that gender roles may amplify biological differences in reactions to alcohol, and that gender differences in drinking behavior may be modified by macrosocial factors that modify gender role contrasts.

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This study explored effective interviewer strategies and lessons-learned based on collection of narrative data by telephone with a sub-sample of women from a population-based survey, which included sexual minority women. Qualitative follow-up, in-depth life history interviews were conducted over the telephone with 48 women who had participated in the 2009–2010 National Alcohol Survey. Questions explored the lives and experiences of women, including use of alcohol and drugs, social relationships, identity, and past traumatic experiences. Strategies for success in interviews emerged in three overarching areas: 1) cultivating rapport and maintaining connection, 2) demonstrating responsiveness to interviewee content, concerns, and 3) communicating regard for the interviewee and her contribution. Findings underscore both the viability and value of telephone interviews as a method for collecting rich narrative data on sensitive subjects among women, including women who may be marginalized.

IntroductionConsidering the wide range of sexrelated issues that are of great social and public health concern today (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS] and other sexually transmitted diseases, un-wanted pregnancy, etc.) the need for data on sexual habits and behaviors in the general population is of considerable importance. Particularly crucial are data on sexual behaviors relevant to AIDS infection. ' Information on these behaviors is necessary not only for mathematical modeling of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission2 but for understanding the cultural context of sexual activity in order to inform educational efforts to prevent AIDS.3,4 Yet such data on the US population are sorely lacking. For example, the distribution of the number of sexual contacts (both current and new partners) among individuals in the US population is currently unknown.5 This lack of current data has meant that public health officials have often been forced to use data collected by Kinsey and colleagues6 in their estimates ofthe number of individuals currently infected with HIV, despite the fact that these data are now more than 40 years old and fraught with a number of important limitations, including problems of sampling and interview design.5Since the time of the original Kinsey studies, there have been a number of important surveys of sexual activity of both adults7-9 and adolescents.'0'4 In to ensure maximum privacy. At the beginning of the interview with the designated respondent, an informed consent was read that gave details on the topics to be covered (including alcohol and druguse and sexual behavior) and included confidentiality assurances. All questions about sexual activity were contained in a 20-page self-administered questionnaire. Respondents filled out this booklet themselves and placed it in a sealed envelope that was collected by the interviewer. Respondents were sent $10 for their participation. MaterialsThe instrument consisted of both orally administered and self-administered segments. The self-administered questionnaire was administered at the end of the session; thus, questionnaire items on sexual behavior were answered last.Demographics. Standard demographic measures included sex, age, marital status, race, and educational level.Se-xual experience. Respondents were asked whether they had ever had sexual intercourse (vaginal or anal) and whether they had had intercourse in the last 5 years. Other questionnaire items asked respondents to indicate the number of sexual partners (not identified by sex) they had had in the last 5 years, 12 months, and 30 days, and to indicate their selfidentified sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual).Frequency of tercouwse and condom use withprnmarypartnen. One questionnaire item asked respondents to indicate how often they had had intercourse in the last 12 months with a primary partner (defined as "a person to whom you are married or someone to whom you feel committed above anyone else"). SeualActivity PattemsNinety-eight percent of t...

This study examined relationships between past experiences of victimization (sexual abuse and physical abuse in childhood, sexual abuse and physical abuse in adulthood, and lifetime victimization) and hazardous drinking among sexual minority women compared to exclusively heterosexual women. Data were from 11,169 women responding to sexual identity and sexual behavior questions from three National Alcohol Survey waves: 2000 (n=3,880), 2005 (n=3,464) and 2010 (n=3,825). A hazardous drinking index was constructed from five dichotomous variables (5+ drinking in the past year, drinking two or more drinks daily, drinking to intoxication in the past year, two or more lifetime dependence symptoms and two or more lifetime drinking-related negative consequences). Exclusively heterosexual women were compared to three groups of sexual minority women: lesbian, bisexual, and women who identified as heterosexual but reported same-sex partners. Each of the sexual minority groups reported significantly higher rates of lifetime victimization (59.1% lesbians, 76% bisexuals, and 64.4% heterosexual women reporting same-sex partners) than exclusively heterosexual women (42.3 %). Odds for hazardous drinking among sexual minority women were attenuated when measures of victimization were included in the regression models. Sexual minority groups had significantly higher odds of hazardous drinking, even after controlling for demographic and victimization variables: lesbian (ORadj=2.0, CI=1.1–3.9, p<.01; bisexual (ORadj=1.8, CI=1.0–3.3, p<.05; heterosexual with same-sex partners (ORadj=2.7; CI=1.7–4.3, p<.001). Higher rates of victimization likely contribute to, but do not fully explain, higher rates of hazardous drinking among sexual minority women.

This study examined patterns of smoked substances (cigarettes and marijuana) among heterosexuals, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals based on data from the 2000 National Alcohol Survey (NAS), a population-based telephone survey of adults in the United States. We also examined the effect of bar patronage and sensation-seeking/impulsivity (SSImp) on tobacco and marijuana use. Sexual orientation was defined as: lesbian or gay self-identified, bisexual self-identified, heterosexual selfidentified with same-sex partners in the last five years, and exclusively heterosexual (heterosexual self-identified, reporting no same sex partners). Findings indicate that bisexual women and heterosexual women reporting same-sex partners had higher rates of cigarette smoking than exclusively heterosexual women. Bisexual women, lesbians and heterosexual women with same-sex partners also used marijuana at significantly higher rates than exclusively heterosexual women. Marijuana use was significantly greater and tobacco use was elevated among gay men compared to heterosexual men. SSImp was associated with greater use of both of these substances across nearly all groups. Bar patronage and SSImp did not buffer the relationship between sexual identity and smoking either cigarettes or marijuana. These findings suggest that marijuana and tobacco use differ by sexual identity, particularly among women, and underscore the importance of developing prevention and treatment services that are appropriate for sexual minorities.

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