Chronic stress from difficult social situations compels gay and lesbian teenagers to binge drink more than their heterosexual peers, a new study finds.
Previous studies have established that the rate of binge drinking is higher among gay and lesbian teenagers than heterosexual individuals of the same age. A team of researchers looked into the mechanism behind this and found that unfavorable social conditions play a big role.
Gay and lesbian teenagers often bear the brunt of hurtful social jokes and are subjected to stressful situations like victimization and homophobia, compelling them to indulge in heavy episodic drinking.
For the study, the researchers analyzed responses from 1,232 youths aged between 12 and 18 years, who took part in an online survey conducted by OutProud: The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth. Among these participants sixteen percent admitted they were lesbians and 84 percent said they were gay. The survey included questions inquiring about any sexual minority experiences the participants may have had.
Researchers found that chronic stress due to discrimination, rejection, harassment, concealment of sexual orientation and internalized homophobia was one of the main causes of poor health among homosexual adolescents.
"Although other studies of adolescents commonly report on sexuality or sexual identity, these general population studies do not typically assess nuanced experiences of stress among sexual minority adolescents," lead author Sheree M. Schrager, PhD, MS, director of research in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said in a statement.
Internalized homophobia was also found to increase binge drinking tendencies among homosexuals. Researchers also found that experiencing violence or victimization was marginally associated with drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Fortunately, homosexual teenagers who lived with their parents were less likely to binge drink. Researchers also noted that individuals closely connected to gay communities were more likely to indulge in heavy episodic drinking.
"Given that interventions are more effective when they are developed to match the cultural experiences of participants, theoretically grounded studies like this one can potentially lead to tailored treatment approaches based on the unique experiences of lesbian and gay adolescents," Dr. Schrager said.
Findings of the study will be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
