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We examined differences between sexual minority women's (SMW's) sexual identity and sexual behavior or sexual attraction as potential contributors to hazardous drinking across a 10-year period. Data are from a longitudinal study examining drinking and drinking-related problems in a diverse, community-based sample of self-identified SMW (Wave 1: n = 447; Wave 2: n = 384; Wave 3: n = 354). Longitudinal cross-lagged models showed that SMW who report higher levels of identity-behavior or identity-attraction discordance may be at greater risk of concurrent and subsequent hazardous drinking. Results of multigroup models suggest that sexual orientation discordance is a more potent risk factor for risky drinking outcomes among SMW in older adulthood than in younger adulthood. Findings support that discordance between sexual orientation dimensions may contribute to hazardous drinking among SMW and provide evidence that cognitive-behavioral consistency is important for individuals expressing diverse and fluid sexual identities, attraction, and behavior., (© American Sociological Association 2015.)

Researching female sex workers (FSWs) in Indonesia, where commercial sex tends to be hidden or undercover, is challenging but possible. This is even more challenging when it involves investigation of sensitive behaviors, such as their alcohol use, a known disinhibitor to risk behavior. The adoption of effective strategies is needed to increase response rates and improve data quality. This article describes procedures used to research FSWs' alcohol use during commercial sex in the Eastern part of Indonesia. Challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for best practices are discussed.

Objective: Sexual-minority women are at heightened risk for a number of mental health problems, including hazardous alcohol consumption, depression, and anxiety. We examined self-medication and impaired-functioning models of the associations among these variables and interpreted results within a life course framework that considered the unique social stressors experienced by sexual-minority women., Method: Data were from a sample of 384 women interviewed during the first two waves of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study., Results: Covariance structure modeling revealed that (a) consistent with a self-medication process, anxiety was prospectively associated with hazardous drinking and (b) consistent with an impaired-functioning process, hazardous drinking was prospectively associated with depression., Conclusions: Our findings support a life course perspective that interprets the mental health of adult sexual-minority women as influenced by adverse childhood experiences, age at drinking onset, first heterosexual intercourse, and first sexual identity disclosure, as well as by processes associated with self-medication and impaired functioning during adulthood.

This commentary addresses several data-related challenges confronting the research described by Allamani et al. (2011) The topics briefly reviewed here include considerations of the optimal unit of analysis, sources of measurement error in social indicators, the heterogeneity and homogeneity of measurements within and across nations, and the data structures being employed.

The United States has been experiencing the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression. This article presents the Life Change Consequences of the Great Recession (LCCGR), an instrument depicting work and personal life-related stressors reflecting the enduring effects of the Great Recession. A national sample of 663 respondents completed a mail survey including this instrument and measures of drinking outcomes. Multiple regression analyses addressed the links between the LCCGR and drinking. Economy-related stressors manifested significant effects on both male and female consumptions patterns, but most LCCGR subscales were more clearly related to problematic drinking patterns in men compared with women.

Background: Female sex workers' (FSWs') use of alcohol, a known disinhibitor to risk behaviour, has been largely understudied. Knowledge of how various sex work venues influence FSW's alcohol consumption before engaging in commercial sex is even rarer. Our analysis identifies those factors across three types of sex-work venues that predict alcohol use among FSWs prior to paid sexual intercourse with clients. Our data were collected through structured interviews with FSWs engaging in commercial sex in Senggigi Beach, Lombok Island in the eastern Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara., Methods: Employing a cross-sectional and multilevel design, three categories of venues where FSWs meet clients in Senggigi were sampled: (1) discotheques and bars (freelance), (2) brothels, and (3) recreational enterprises such as karaoke establishments and massage parlors. The sample consisted of 115 women "nested" within 16 sex work venues. The FSWs reported on 326 clients interactions., Results: Results show that FSWs consumed alcohol before commercial sex with 157 (48%) of the 326 clients interactions. Alcohol use varied by differences in HIV policies and services offered at the sex work venue, the FSW's educational level and age, and client characteristics., Conclusion: Alcohol use is common prior to sexual intercourse among FSWs and their clients in Senggigi, and the venue where FSWs meet their clients influences the women's alcohol use. Freelancers were likelier to use alcohol than those who work at brothels and recreational enterprises. Given the recognized links between alcohol use prior to sex and high risk behaviour, HIV prevention programmes that discourage alcohol use should be introduced to both women who engage in commercial sex and also sex-work venue managers, owners, and clients., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Although research shows that sexual minority women report high rates of lifetime sexual victimization and high rates of hazardous drinking, investigators have yet to explore the relationships between sexual victimization and hazardous drinking in this population. In addition, because the rates of these problems may vary within the sexual minority population, we examined and compared relationships between sexual victimization and hazardous drinking in exclusively heterosexual and sexual minority (mostly heterosexual, bisexual, mostly lesbian and exclusively lesbian) women., Method: Data from 548 participants in the National Study of Health and Life Experiences of Women and 405 participants in the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study were pooled to address these relationships. We compared hazardous drinking, childhood sexual abuse (CSA), adult sexual assault (ASA), and revictimization (both CSA and ASA) across the five sexual identity subgroups. We then fit a multilevel general linear model to examine group differences in the relationships between hazardous drinking and sexual victimization and to test for potential interactions between victimization and identity on hazardous drinking., Results: Sexual minority women reported higher levels of hazardous drinking and higher rates of CSA and sexual revictimization than did exclusively heterosexual women. Revictimization was the strongest predictor of hazardous drinking among women who identified as mostly heterosexual and mostly lesbian., Conclusions: This study extends previous research by examining associations between sexual victimization and hazardous drinking in heterosexual and sexual minority women and by exploring within-group variations in these associations among sexual minority women. Higher rates of lifetime sexual victimization and revictimization may help to explain sexual minority women's heightened risk for hazardous drinking. The findings highlight the need for additional research that examines the meanings of sexual identity labels to more fully understand differences in risk within groups of sexual minority women as well as how sexual identity may affect responses to and interpretations of sexual victimization., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Studies of alcohol use among lesbians have typically used convenience samples with uncertain generalizability or general population samples with small numbers of lesbians. Here we compare rates of high-risk and problem drinking in a large sample of Chicago-area lesbians and a national sample of age- and education-matched urban heterosexual women., Method: Data came from comparable face-to-face interviews with 405 self-identified Chicago-area lesbians and with 548 urban women from a U.S. national sample. Rates of hazardous drinking (heavy episodic drinking, intoxication, drinking-related problems, alcohol-dependence symptoms) were compared for exclusively heterosexual, mostly heterosexual, bisexual, mostly lesbian, and exclusively lesbian subgroups., Results: Exclusively heterosexual women had lower rates than did all other women on all measures of hazardous drinking. Exclusively heterosexual women also reported less childhood sexual abuse, early alcohol use, and depression. Bisexual women reported more hazardous drinking indicators and depression than did exclusively or mostly lesbian women., Conclusions: These results indicate that sexual minority women are likely to have elevated risks of hazardous drinking. The differences between lesbian and bisexual women suggest that more attention is needed to subgroup differences among sexual minority women. Health care providers need to know the sexual identity of their patients and how their sexual identity may affect their risks for hazardous drinking. Higher rates of childhood sexual abuse, early drinking, and depression among sexual minority women suggest that these experiences may be important in assessing and treating problems related to their drinking, and in developing prevention and early intervention strategies.

Objectives: Using data collected as part of the Multisite Women's Health Study, we examined the differences between lesbians and heterosexual women on objective breast cancer risk calculations using the Gail Model. Health risk behaviors and screening behaviors for breast cancer were also examined. It was hypothesized that lesbians would have higher objective cancer risk estimates and report more behavioral and screening risk factors for breast cancer than heterosexual women. Methods: Secondary data analyses were conducted using data from a study of women's health conducted from 1994 to 1996. Using a cross sectional design, a convenience sample of lesbian (n = 550) and heterosexual (n = 279) women was recruited from Chicago, New York City and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Estimates of 5-year and lifetime breast cancer risk were higher for lesbians compared to heterosexual women. Groups did not differ in self-perceptions of being overweight, but more lesbians reported heavier drinking and more reported abstinence from alcohol. Group differences in adherence to breast cancer screening were not significant. Conclusions: Findings suggest a small hut statistically significant difference in the calculated breast cancer risk estimates of lesbian and heterosexual women, which seem to he largely accounted for by differences in reproductive risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To examine the reliability of self-reported age of first substance use experiences among national samples of adult and child respondents. Design. Survey responses from seven waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) were examined. Participants. Adult and child NLSY respondents reporting age of first tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and/or crack use during two or more survey interviews. Measurements. Four indicators of reliability: intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), mean and absolute mean differences in reported age and reports consistent within 1 year. Findings. The adjusted mean ICC for all comparisons was 0.69. The adjusted mean difference in self-reported age of first substance use was - 0.52 years and the adjusted absolute mean difference was 2.00 years. The adjusted percentage of all comparisons reporting ages consistent within 1 year was 55.28%. More consistent reports were provided by adults, and in response to questions posed over 2 years as opposed to longer time intervals. Respondent answers to questions concerned with first use of marijuana were generally found to be most reliable; questions concerned with first use of crack were least reliable and reports of tobacco, alcohol and cocaine were intermediate. Logistic regression analyses also identified age, race, gender, education and poverty status as predictors of consistent reporting. Conclusions. Self-reports of age of first substance use experiences, as currently collected via survey questionnaires, are of sufficient reliability for most current epidemiological applications. For inquiries where age of substance use onset is itself a research focus, however, researchers should invest additional effort in improving the reliability of measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines monthly variations in self-reports of recent alcohol consumption behavior in the United States based on telephone survey data collected by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Seasonal patterns of light and heavy alcohol use between male and female participants; Association of sociodemographics variables with 30-day alcohol consumption.