A Longitudinal Investigation of Sexual Minority Stress, Community Connectedness, and Alcohol use and Problems among Sexual Minority Young Adults

OBJECTIVE: Sexual minority (SM) people face a heightened risk for alcohol use relative to heterosexual people. SM people experience stressors related to their stigmatized identity that increase their risk for problematic alcohol use. Community connectedness may buffer these effects by moderating the association between sexual minority stress and alcohol use. METHOD: This study examined the moderating role of community connectedness in the relationship between sexual minority stress and alcohol use over 5 months. SM young adults who used alcohol (N=343; age 18-25) and were in a dating relationship completed a baseline and follow up survey on sexual minority stress, community connectedness, and alcohol use and problems. We hypothesized: (a) higher levels of sexual minority stress at baseline would be significantly associated with higher alcohol use and problems five months later and (b) community connectedness would moderate the relationship between sexual minority stress and alcohol use. RESULTS: Path analyses demonstrated a significant autoregressive effect, such that alcohol use and problems at baseline was positively associated with alcohol use and problems five months later (β =0.58, p < 0.001). Sexual minority stress at baseline was positively associated with subsequent alcohol use and problems (β=0.14, p = 0.02). SM stress subscale analyses indicated workplace/school discrimination and other discrimination associated with alcohol use and problems at follow-up. The interaction of sexual minority stress and community connectedness was not significantly associated with alcohol use and problems at follow-up (β = -0.09, p = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: Future research should continue to examine the complex, context-dependent role of community connectedness.