Internalized Heterosexism, Self-warmth, Self-coldness, and Problematic Alcohol Use among Bisexual and Lesbian Women

Problematic alcohol use is greater among sexual minority women than heterosexual women. Internalized heterosexism is a risk factor for problematic alcohol use among lesbian women, however, limited research extends to bisexual women. Self-compassion is a protective factor against internalized heterosexism and problematic alcohol use. However, separating self-compassion components (i.e., self-warmth and self-coldness) is encouraged due to their distinct relationships with psychopathology. The current study examined whether self-warmth and self-coldness moderated the relationship between internalized heterosexism and problematic alcohol use among bisexual and lesbian women and whether any moderating effects were conditional on sexual orientation. The Revised Internalized Homophobia Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test were completed online by 239 bisexual and 310 lesbian women aged 18 to 68 years (M = 29.19, SD = 8.95). No moderating effects emerged. Internalized heterosexism was not significantly related to problematic alcohol use, likely because of the limited variance among internalized heterosexism and problematic alcohol use scores in the sample. Higher levels of self-warmth and lower levels of self-coldness were associated with lower levels of problematic alcohol use. Interventions bolstering self-warmth and reducing self-coldness may protect against problematic alcohol use within both groups of women.