The link between alcohol use and aggression toward sexual minorities: An event-based analysis.

Abstract

The current study used an event-based assessment approach to examine the day-to-day relationship between heterosexual men's alcohol consumption and perpetration of aggression toward sexual minorities. Participants were 199 heterosexual drinking men between the ages of 18-30 who completed (1) separate timeline followback interviews to assess alcohol use and aggression toward sexual minorities during the past year, and (2) written self-report measures of risk factors for aggression toward sexual minorities. Results indicated that aggression toward sexual minorities was twice as likely on a day when drinking was reported than on non-drinking days, with over 80% of alcohol-related aggressive acts perpetrated within the group context. Patterns of alcohol use (i.e., number of drinking days, mean drinks per drinking day, number of heavy drinking days) were not associated with perpetration after controlling for demographic variables and pertinent risk factors. Results suggest that it is the acute effects of alcohol, and not men's patterns of alcohol consumption, that facilitate aggression toward sexual minorities. More importantly, these data are the first to support an event-based link between alcohol use and aggression toward sexual minorities (or any minority group), and provide the impetus for future research to examine risk factors and mechanisms for intoxicated aggression toward sexual minorities and other stigmatized groups. KeywordsAlcohol Intoxication; Aggressive Behavior; Sexual Minorities; Prejudice For many years, policy makers, social scientists, and advocacy groups have raised concerns about aggression toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals (i.e., sexual minorities). Indeed, multiple reports suggest that nearly 20% of hate crimes are based on the victim's sexual orientation (e.g., Harlow, 2005; Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004), and data indicate that bias-motivated person or property crimes and verbal abuse were experienced by 20% and 50% of sexual minority adults, respectively (Herek, 2009). In addition, research indicates that victims of hate crimes based on sexual orientation suffer a greater severity of violence and experience more detrimental personal and psychological effects than victims of other bias-motivated (Dunbar, 2006) and nonbiased assaults (Herek, Gillis, & Cogan, 1999).Commensurate with the significance of this public health problem, a great deal of research has been conducted to identify risk factors and mechanisms for aggression toward sexual minorities Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dominic J. Parrott, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5010, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-5010. parrott@gsu.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of E...

Determinants of aggression toward sexual minorities in a community sample.

“…The distinct set of hypotheses tested herein utilized data that were drawn from a larger investigation on the effects of alcohol on aggression toward sexual minorities (Parrott, Gallagher, Vincent, & Bakeman, in press). Thus, although the focus of the present investigation did not examine alcohol-related effects, all participants who presented to the laboratory reported consuming alcohol on at least one occasion during the past year.…”

Effects of traditional gender role norms and religious fundamentalism on self-identified heterosexual men's attitudes, anger, and aggression toward gay men and lesbians.

“…The distinct set of hypotheses tested herein utilized data that were drawn from a larger investigation on the effects of alcohol on aggression toward gay men and lesbians (Parrott, Gallagher, Vincent, & Bakeman, 2010). Thus, although the focus of the present investigation did not examine alcohol-related effects, all participants who presented to the laboratory reported consuming alcohol on at least one occasion during the past year.…”

Dormant masculinity: Moderating effects of acute alcohol intoxication on the relation between male role norms and antigay aggression.

“…Second, with respect to aggression toward sexual minorities, antigay assailants consume alcohol more frequently than non-assailants (Franklin, 2000) and approximately 33% of hate crime assailants report acute alcohol intoxication at the time of the offense (Dunbar, 2003). Third, heterosexual men are twice as likely to report aggression towards sexual minorities on days they had consumed alcohol than on non-drinking days (Parrott et al, 2010). These data clearly demonstrate a link between alcohol use and the perpetration of antigay aggression and support the call to examine alcohol’s effects on aggression toward sexual minorities and other stigmatized groups (Hull & Van Treuren, 1986; Parrott & Miller, 2009).…”