Co-occurring psychiatric and drug use disorders among sexual minority men with lifetime alcohol use disorders.
BACKGROUND
Emerging evidence indicates multiple health risks associated with harmful alcohol use among sexual minority men in the United States. In particular, sexual minority men with alcohol use disorders (AUD) might have greater co-occurring health problems compared with heterosexual men. We used nationally representative data to compare the prevalence of diagnostic co-occurring psychiatric disorders and drug use disorders (DUD) among sexual minority men with AUD compared with heterosexual males with a lifetime AUD diagnosis.


METHODS
We analyzed data from 6899 adult males with AUD participating in Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Using weighted multivariable logistic regression models, we compared the odds of lifetime diagnosis of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and drug use disorders in sexual minority and heterosexual adult males with AUD.


RESULTS
Of participants included in this analysis, 176 (2.6%) self-identified as a sexual minority. In adjusted analyses, sexual minority men with AUD were more likely than heterosexual men with AUD to have any mood disorder (including major depressive episode), any anxiety disorder (including panic disorder without agoraphobia, specific phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder), and lifetime DUD.


CONCLUSIONS
The elevated co-occurrence of psychiatric disorders and DUD among sexual minority men with AUD suggests that future research is warranted. A better understanding of the etiology of diagnostic co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders among sexual minority men is needed in order to develop effective integrated prevention and treatment programs.
School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Ji Hyun
JH
Lee
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Kristi E
KE
Gamarel
School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Christopher W
CW
Kahler
School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Brandon D L
BD
Marshall
Division of Infectious Diseases, Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Jacob J
JJ
van den Berg
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD, USA.
Kendall
K
Bryant
Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Nickolas D
ND
Zaller
School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Electronic address: Don_Operario@brown.edu.
Don
D
Operario
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
Alcohol use; Diagnostic co-occurrence; Men who have sex with men (MSM)