Sexual minority disparities in psychosocial functioning following substance use recovery among a representative sample of US adults

Abigail W. Batchelder; M. Claire Greene; Jillian R. Scheer; Jacklyn Foley; Hyo Jin Jenny Shin; Kyrié M. Koehn; John F. Kelly

Addictive Behaviors Reports (Jun 2024)

Sexual minority disparities in psychosocial functioning following substance use recovery among a representative sample of US adults

Abigail W. Batchelder,
M. Claire Greene,
Jillian R. Scheer,
Jacklyn Foley,
Hyo Jin Jenny Shin,
Kyrié M. Koehn,
John F. Kelly

Affiliations

Abigail W. Batchelder: Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author.
M. Claire Greene: Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
Jillian R. Scheer: Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
Jacklyn Foley: Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Hyo Jin Jenny Shin: Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Kyrié M. Koehn: Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA
John F. Kelly: Psychiatry Department, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 19
p. 100527

Abstract

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Purpose: Sexual minority (SM; e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual) individuals are disproportionately impacted by alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders and psychosocial factors that can exacerbate AOD use disorders and hinder recovery. This study examines SM sub-group differences (monosexual [gay/lesbian] versus bisexual) regarding adaptation to recovery measured by indices of psychosocial functioning. Identifying differential needs of gay/lesbian versus bisexual individuals could improve services to better meet the needs of SM individuals in recovery. Methods: Using data from the National Recovery Study, a nationally representative cross-sectional sample of US adults who reported resolving an AOD problem (N = 2,002), we compared heterosexual to monosexual and bisexual SM individuals on socio-demographic characteristics, AOD use and treatment, and psychosocial variables. Results: Bisexual individuals were significantly younger than heterosexual individuals (p = .002 and p ≤ 0.001 among men and women, respectively) and reported significantly fewer years since AOD problem resolution compared to heterosexual individuals (p = .004 and p = .003 among men and women, respectively). Most notably, bisexual individuals, but not gay/lesbian individuals, reported significantly lower quality of life (QOL), happiness, self-esteem, and significantly higher distress compared to heterosexual individuals. Conclusion: Bisexual, but not monosexual, SM individuals in recovery from an AOD use disorder, were younger and reported worse psychosocial functioning than heterosexual individuals. Findings highlight significant differences between monosexual versus bisexual identified individuals with a notable disadvantage experienced by bisexual individuals. More needs to be learned about the challenges faced by bisexual individuals in recovery to better address their needs and support long-term AOD recovery.

Published in Addictive Behaviors Reports

ISSN: 2352-8532 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Philosophy. Psychology. Religion: Psychology; Social Sciences: Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/addictive-behaviors-reports

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