Binge drinking among gay, and lesbian youths: The role of internalized sexual stigma, self-disclosure, and individuals’ sense of connectedness to the gay community

Binge Drinking among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women in San Salvador: Correlates and Sexual Health Implications

“…According to the permissive norms pathway, these individuals are presumed to be engaging with the sexual minority community, likely in bars and other venues where permissive norms for alcohol use prevail. 17,[36][37][38] An examination of sexual health outcomes confirms that these individuals do not necessarily engage in increased risky sexual behavior, further supporting the theory that individuals with otherwise healthy concepts of the self (as indicated by high levels of disclosure and low levels of risky sexual behavior) may engage in binge drinking because of the influence of the social environment. 28,39 These findings have several implications for research and practice.…”

“…These findings are consistent with the maladaptive coping strategy pathway posited by Cooper et al 13 and with previous empirical work demonstrating a link between IH and heavy drinking. 17,23 Those with a female partner may be engaging in identity concealment, leading to higher levels of stress and subsequent alcohol use as an avoidant coping strategy. At least weekly binge drinking is also associated with disclosure to thee-nine types of people and being single, though the effects are only marginally significant.…”

“…The fact that less than weekly binge drinking is not associated with other risky sexual behaviors/suboptimal sexual health intentions that are typically influenced by stigma-related stress suggests that disclosure is acting through the social norms pathway, but more data on disclosure reactions are needed to confirm this speculation. 17,30 Less than weekly binge drinking is also associated with having a female partner. Just as for at least weekly binge drinking, this relationship likely works through the maladaptive coping strategy pathway.…”

“…Interventions to address high levels of IH among MSM that address both individual cognitive processes and the social and structural determinants of IH are needed. 17,39 Interventions to support disclosure of sexual orientation (when it is appropriate to do so) must acknowledge the association between disclosure and potential increases in binge drinking, aiming to mitigate the negative consequences of disclosure while retaining the positive aspects of social connection to the sexual minority community.…”

“…This is especially true in low-and middle-income country settings. Moreover, few studies have examined the factors contributing to heavy drinking using IH measures explicitly (see Baiocco et al 17 as an exception). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between stigma-related stress (specifically, internalization of negative societal attitudes (IH) and concealment of one's sexual orientation (relationship status and disclosure of sexual orientation)) and binge drinking in a sample of MSM and TW in the capital city of San Salvador, El Salvador.…”