Abstract
Introduction: Individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minorities face heightened risks of substance abuse compared to heterosexual individuals due to immediate and long-term stressors. Furthermore, the added stressors of isolation and lockdown during the pandemic increased substance use and abuse as a way of coping with anxiety concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assesses substance use trends in the sexual minority population from 2015 to 2021.
Method: We analyzed datasets from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to evaluate alcohol use disorders, cannabis use disorders, nicotine dependence, and self-reported drug abuse between lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals and heterosexual individuals, including youth (ages twelve to twenty-five) and adult (ages twenty-six and older) subgroups. Chi-square tests were performed with a p-value less than 0.05.
Results: With an average of three thousand two hundred fifty-three lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents and thirty-six thousand eight hundred ninety-three heterosexual respondents, lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals exhibited significantly higher rates of alcohol use disorders, cannabis use disorders, nicotine dependence, and drug misuse compared to heterosexual individuals. Adult lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals and heterosexual individuals demonstrated higher rates of nicotine dependence, while youth predominated in higher rates of other substance use disorders. All values were statistically significant with a p-value less than 0.001.
Conclusions: Both sexual minority youth and adults demonstrated disproportionately higher rates of substance abuse compared to the sexual majority. In addition, this study provided an opportunity to measure drug use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the effectiveness of opioid use countermeasures versus an increase in illicit drug use in lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. These findings emphasize the need for treatment programs tailored for sexual and gender minorities, with a focus on the substances most prevalent in this population, and the importance of addressing these issues earlier in life.