title: Does comparing alcohol use along a single dimension obscure within-group differences? Investigating men's hazardous drinking by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some studies have found that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have higher odds of alcohol abuse and dependence than heterosexual men, but others have found no differences. We investigated whether the association between sexual orientation and hazardous drinking varied by race/ethnicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  We estimated the odds of past-year heavy daily, heavy weekly, and binge drinking by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity among non-Latino White, non-Latino Black, and Latino (any race) men (n = 9689) who reported current alcohol use in the 2004-2005 National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Interaction terms were included in multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate possible effect modification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In most comparisons, sexual minority men reported equivalent or lower levels of hazardous drinking than heterosexual peers. There was no association between sexual orientation and heavy daily drinking. Sexual minority Black men had lower odds of heavy weekly drinking and binge drinking than both heterosexual White men and heterosexual Black men. Among Latinos, the odds of heavy weekly drinking were higher for sexual minority men than heterosexuals; there was no difference by sexual orientation for binge drinking among Latinos.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With one exception, sexual minority men were at equivalent or lower risk of hazardous drinking than heterosexual men. The Black-White advantage observed in other alcohol studies was observed in our study and was heightened among sexual minority men, suggesting the presence of protective factors that curb hazardous drinking. Additional research is necessary to identify the mechanisms responsible for these patterns.
authors.affiliation: Alcohol Research Group, 6475 Christie Avenue, Suite 400, Emeryville, CA 94608, United States. Electronic address: pgilbert@arg.org.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center for Rural Health, University of Iowa, College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA, United States.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daniel-Ulloa
authors.affiliation: The Fenway Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Kerith J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Conron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Binge drinking; Bisexual; Black; Disparities; Gay; Latino
references.citation: Int J Addict. 1983 Dec;18(8):1085-107
references.pmid: 6368411
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009 Jan 1;99(1-3):215-21
references.pmid: 18945554
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2014 Jun;104 Suppl 3:S343-9
references.pmid: 24754661
references.citation: AIDS Behav. 2004 Dec;8(4):379-89
references.pmid: 15690111
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2010 Oct;100(10):1953-60
references.pmid: 20516373
references.citation: J Subst Abuse Treat. 1989;6(4):213-22
references.pmid: 2687480
references.citation: J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2012 Apr 1;59(4):400-8
references.pmid: 22083072
references.citation: J Homosex. 2012;59(2):149-85
references.pmid: 22335416
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2012 Feb;102(2):292-300
references.pmid: 22390443
references.citation: AIDS Educ Prev. 1996 Oct;8(5):415-29
references.pmid: 8911569
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2000 May;50(10):1385-401
references.pmid: 10741575
references.citation: Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Feb;62(2):223-4
references.pmid: 21285107
references.citation: Addiction. 2009 Aug;104(8):1333-45
references.pmid: 19438839
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 2000 May;61(3):387-95
references.pmid: 10807209
references.citation: J Youth Adolesc. 2014 Jan;43(1):30-9
references.pmid: 23325141
references.citation: Lancet Oncol. 2006 Feb;7(2):149-56
references.pmid: 16455479
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2013 Mar;38(3):1816-23
references.pmid: 23254233
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2006 Mar;31(3):404-13
references.pmid: 15970397
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2005 Jul;29(7):1334-40
references.pmid: 16088997
references.citation: J Subst Abuse. 1995;7(3):331-44
references.pmid: 8749792
references.citation: JAMA. 2004 Mar 10;291(10):1238-45
references.pmid: 15010446
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1998 Oct;22(7 Suppl):285S-298S
references.pmid: 9799951
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2005 Jan 7;77(1):61-70
references.pmid: 15607842
references.citation: J Health Soc Behav. 2012 Sep;53(3):359-77
references.pmid: 22940814
references.citation: Psychol Addict Behav. 2009 Dec;23(4):620-31
references.pmid: 20025368
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 2005 Jan;66(1):111-20
references.pmid: 15830911
references.citation: J Interpers Violence. 2003 Jul;18(7):735-43
references.pmid: 14675506
references.citation: Subst Use Misuse. 2006;41(5):643-52
references.pmid: 16603452
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000 Dec;68(6):1062-71
references.pmid: 11142540
references.citation: J Safety Res. 2008;39(3):311-9
references.pmid: 18571573
references.citation: Hisp J Behav Sci. 2012 Feb 1;31(1):95-117
references.pmid: 22438607
references.citation: Alcohol Res Health. 2010;33(1-2):152-60
references.pmid: 21209793
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2008 Jan 1;92(1-3):27-36
references.pmid: 17706375
references.citation: J Safety Res. 2009;40(4):285-92
references.pmid: 19778652
references.citation: Alcohol Res Health. 2001;25(1):58-65
references.pmid: 11496968
references.citation: Q J Stud Alcohol. 1956 Jun;17(2):296-305
references.pmid: 13336262
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2010 Mar;100(3):468-75
references.pmid: 19696380
references.citation: Am J Health Behav. 2014 Nov;38(6):951-62
references.pmid: 25207520
references.citation: J Gerontol. 1978 May;33(3):427-36
references.pmid: 748438
references.citation: J Gerontol. 1987 Sep;42(5):528-33
references.pmid: 3624812
references.citation: Addiction. 2001 Nov;96(11):1589-601
references.pmid: 11784456
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2007 Jun;64(11):2201-9
references.pmid: 17383784
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2014 Aug 1;141:65-71
references.pmid: 24907774
references.citation: Alcohol Res Health. 2003;27(1):87-94
references.pmid: 15301403
references.citation: J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007 Oct;75(5):785-94
references.pmid: 17907860
references.citation: J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 Mar;67(3):363-74
references.pmid: 16649821
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2006 May;96(5):765; author reply 766
references.pmid: 16571688
references.citation: J Immigr Minor Health. 2012 Oct;14(5):890-4
references.pmid: 22089979
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2010 Aug;100(8):1477-84
references.pmid: 20558791
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2012 Jul;102(7):1267-73
references.pmid: 22594719
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2005 Jul;95(7):1144-9
references.pmid: 15961753
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 2005 Jan;66(1):105-10
references.pmid: 15830910
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2010 Oct;100(10):1946-52
references.pmid: 20075317
references.citation: Drug Alcohol Depend. 2005 Apr 4;78(1):39-47
references.pmid: 15769556
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Mar 1;151(5):516-23
references.pmid: 10707921
references.citation: Community Ment Health J. 2015 Feb;51(2):153-60
references.pmid: 24957253
references.citation: J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2004 Nov;13(9):1033-47
references.pmid: 15665660
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Nov;68(11):1176-85
references.pmid: 22065533
references.citation: J Stud Alcohol. 1978 Nov;39(11):1959-63
references.pmid: 739779
references.citation: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2009 Apr;33(4):654-62
references.pmid: 19183131
references.citation: J LGBT Health Res. 2007;3(1):25-35
references.pmid: 18029313
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2011 Dec;101 Suppl 1:S149-55
references.pmid: 21551385
references.citation: Alcohol Res Health. 2003;27(1):63-78
references.pmid: 15301401
references.citation: J Clin Psychiatry. 1982 Jul;43(7):277-9
references.pmid: 7085588
references.citation: BMC Psychiatry. 2008;8:70
references.pmid: 18706118