Risk factors for alcohol use, frequent use, and binge drinking among young men who have sex with men

Abstract

We examined the prevalence and patterns of alcohol use within a large, ethnically diverse sample of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and identified psychosocial correlates of these alcoholuse patterns. A sample of 526 YMSM (ages 18-24 years) was recruited in Los Angeles, CA using a venue-based, stratified probability sampling design. Based on criteria used by previous research with young adults, participants were assigned to one of four alcohol-use/non-use groups according to frequency and number of drinks per sitting in the last 30 days. Findings revealed a high prevalence of alcohol use (91%) within the sample, with 21% reporting binge drinking; of binge drinkers, 40% reported frequent binge drinking. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that race/ ethnicity, gay bar attendance, depression, sensation seeking, peer risk behaviors, and age of alcohol initiation significantly differentiated between non-/light users from frequent and binge drinkers. Results also indicated unique psychosocial profiles among frequent/binge drinkers. The heterogeneity of predictors associated with different patterns of alcohol use highlight the need to consider unique risk profiles and alcohol-use trajectories according to exposure to different risk and protective factors.

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

“…This finding is consistent with other work linking gay bar attendance to heavy alcohol use. [24][25][26][27] The marginal relationship for those who are single may also be due to the absence of a protective effect of having a stable male partner, as evidenced in other empirical work. 28,29 No drinking or no binge drinking is more likely among participants with a male partner, a low level of sexual orientation disclosure, and a low level of IH.…”

Alcohol Use Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

“…Additional research has focused on the correlation between the use of these substances with sexual risk-taking and HIV transmission (Clatts et al, 2005;Nanín & Parsons, 2006;Poppen, Reisen, Zea, Bianchi, & Echeverry, 2004). Numerous studies have documented the presence of alcohol among YMSM, presenting it as the most commonly used substance in this population (Hatzenbuehler, Corbin, & Fromme, 2008;Hughes & Eliason, 2002;Wong, Kipke, & Weiss, 2008).…”

Patterns of Alcohol Use and Consequences Among Empirically Derived Sexual Minority Subgroups

“…Importantly, variations in sexual orientation development processes may alter the relative likelihood of each explanation. Consequently, examinations of the patterns of alcohol use among diverse subgroups of sexual minority individuals may be helpful in understanding potentially distinct etiologic pathways of alcohol-related outcomes.The majority of research examining sexual minority alcohol use has been cross-sectional (Amadio, 2006;Drabble et al, 2005;McCabe et al, 2009;Ridner et al, 2006;Rosario et al, 2004Rosario et al, , 2008Stall et al, 2001;Wong et al, 2008). Recently, longitudinal studies (Corliss et al, 2008;DeBord et al, 1998;Hatzenbuehler et al, 2008;Marshal et al, 2009;Rostosky et al, 2007Rostosky et al, , 2008Skinner and Otis, 1996;Talley et al, 2010;Tucker et al, 2008) have examined temporal patterns of alcohol use among nonclinical samples of sexual minority individuals and compared those with patterns among sexual majority individuals.…”