Elia Garcia
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Shayan Asadi
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology / LSA
Program:
Authors: Elia Garcia, Craig Rodriguez-Seijas, Shayan Asadi
Session: Session 7: 4:40 pm – 5:30 pm
Poster: 56
Abstract
Abstract Background: Sexual minorities (people attracted to the same sex/gender) experience unique life stressors compared to heterosexual individuals, such as discrimination, victimization, internalized homophobia, and concealment. Bisexual individuals experience unique minority stressors such as, bi-negativity and monosexism due to their plurisexual identity. This study aims to identify whether bisexual-specific stressors (e.g., bi-negativity) are related to substance use for bisexual individuals. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of all literature related to sexual minority stress within the last twenty years (2003-2023), using key search terms, abstract review, and full-text review. The literature was initially filtered by key words (e.g., “minority stress” in addition to “substance use”), then abstracts were narrowed down based on eligibility criteria, namely that a minority stress exposure was reported, that a substance use outcome was reported, and that the study had a sexual minority sample. At the full text level, we continued screening for eligibility, this time focusing on whether an extractable effect size was reported for descriptive and inferential analyses (e.g., meta-analysis). Analysis: Data is still pending as we are currently screening papers (1700 abstracts, 430 full texts) We hypothesize that there will be a relationship between minority stress (bi-negativity) and substance use, given evidence from individual studies that report a significant relationship between the two (Shulz et al., 2017, 2022; Ford et al., 2023). Conclusion: Understanding minority stress exposures and outcomes can assist in addressing mental health barriers for sexual minorities. By doing this research, Psychology professionals can better understand the stress of unique life experiences and sexual minorities have increased opportunities for adequate mental health care. References Ford, J. V., Pearlman, L. R., & Feinstein, B. A. (2023). Bisexuality and substance use. Current Sexual Health Reports, 15(3), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11930-023-00369-8 Schulz, C. T., Glatt, E. M., & Stamates, A. L. (2022). Risk factors associated with alcohol and drug use among bisexual women: A literature review. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 30(5), 740–749. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000480 Schulz, C. T., Stamates, A. L., Ehlke, S. J., & Kelley, M. L. (2023). Dimensions of binegativity differentially predict drinking to cope motivations and alcohol use severity among bisexual women. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 31(2), 305–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000590 Keywords: sexual minority, discrimination, bi-negativity, substance use
