Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comparing Substance Use Outcomes By Sexual Identity Among Women: Differences Using Propensity Score Methods, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, Laurie Drabble, Libo Li, Cat Munroe, Amy A. Mericle, Karen F. Trocki, Tonda L. Hughes

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Differences in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use by sexual identity vary across samples of women recruited using different sampling methods. We used propensity score (PS) weighting methods to address two methodological questions: (1) Do disparities between sexual minority women (SMW) and heterosexual women persist when differences in risk and protective factors are similarly distributed between groups, and (2) Does accounting for SMW-specific resiliency factors impact differences between non-probability samples of SMW? Methods: Four samples included SMW from a longitudinal study with a nonprobability sample (n = 373), a national general population panel sample (n = 373), …

Impact Of The Policy Environment On Substance Use Among Sexual Minority Women, Laurie A. Drabble, Cat Munroe, Amy A. Mericle, Sarah Zollweg, Karen F. Trocki, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Sexual minority women (SMW) are at greater risk for heavy episodic drinking, frequent marijuana use, and tobacco use than heterosexual women. Because past research has suggested the political and social environment may influence disparities in substance use by sexual orientation, this study examined associations of the U.S. state-level policy environment on substance use by SMW.

Methods: A total of 732 SMW participants were recruited from two national online panels: a general population panel (n = 333) and a sexual minority-specific panel (n = 399). Past year substance use was defined by number of days of heavy episodic drinking (HED; …

Challenges Of Virtual Rds For Recruitment Of Sexual Minority Women For A Behavioral Health Study, Deirdre Middleton, Laurie A. Drabble, Deborah Krug, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, Amy A. Mericle, Tonda L. Hughes, Ronaldo Iachan, Karen F. Trocki

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is an approach commonly used to recruit nonprobability samples of rare and hard-to-find populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of phone- and web-based RDS methodology to sample sexual minority women (SMW) for participation in a telephone survey. Key features included (i) utilizing a national probability survey sample to select seeds; (ii) web-based recruitment with emailed coupons; and (iii) virtual processes for orienting, screening, and scheduling potential participants for computer-assisted telephone interviews. Rather than resulting in a large diverse sample of SMW, only a small group of randomly selected women completed the survey …

Examining Perceived Effects Of Same-Sex Marriage Legalization Among Sexual Minority Women: Identifying Demographic Differences And Factors Related To Alcohol Use Disorder, Depression, And Self-Perceived Health, Laurie A. Drabble, Amy A. Mericle, Cat Munroe, Angie R. Wootton, Karen F. Trocki, Tonda L. Hughes

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction

Reductions in structural stigmas, such as gaining access to legalized same-sex marriage, are associated with positive psychological and physical health outcomes among sexual minorities. However, these positive outcomes may be less robust among sexual minority women (SMW).

Methods

This study examined how perceptions of the impact of legalized same-sex marriage among SMW may (1) differ by demographic characteristics and (2) predict alcohol use disorder, depression, and self-perceived health. A diverse sample of SMW (N=446) completed an online survey in 2020 assessing the perceived impact of legalized same-sex marriage across six social-ecological domains: (1) personal impact, (2) stigma-related …

Measuring The Impact Of Legal Recognition Of Same-Sex Marriage Among Sexual Minority Women, Laurie A. Drabble, Amy A. Mericle, Angie R. Wootton, Cat Munroe, Libo Li, Karen F. Trocki, Tonda Hughes

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Reductions in structural stigma, such as gaining access to legalized same-sex marriage, is associated with positive psychological and physical health outcomes among sexual minority adults. However, these positive outcomes may be less robust among sexual minority women (SMW; e.g., lesbian, bisexual, queer) than sexual minority men and new measures are needed to develop a more nuanced understanding of the impact of affirming policies on the health and well-being of SMW. This study assessed the psychometric properties of measures developed to assess the psychosocial impacts of legalized same-sex marriage on the lives of SMW. Participants (N = 446) completed an online …

Strengths And Coping Strategies In The Life Narratives Of Sexual Minority Women, Laurie Drabble, Karen F. Trocki, Brenda Salcedo, Bobbi R. Morales, Rachael Korcha

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This study explored self-described strengths and strategies for coping with stress among sexual minority women (SMW), drawing on qualitative narratives of sexual minority and heterosexual women who were recruited from a population-based sample. In-depth follow-up qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with 48 women who had participated in the National Alcohol Survey, a U.S. population-based survey. Participants included 25 SMW and 16 matched exclusively heterosexual women. Narrative data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparison to explore the study aim, with an emphasis on themes that diverged or that were particularly salient for SMW relative to heterosexual women. Strengths …