TY - JOUR
T1 - A descriptive analysis of alcohol behaviors across gender subgroups within a sample of transgender adults
AU - Staples, Jennifer M.
AU - Neilson, Elizabeth C.
AU - George, William H.
AU - Flaherty, Brian P.
AU - Davis, Kelly
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this research and participant compensation was provided by the University of Washington Psychology Department (Psychology Department Scholar and Robert C. Bolles Graduate Student Fellowships), the Kinsey Institute (Student Research Grant), and the American Psychological Association (Basic Psychological Science Research Grant).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2018/1
Y1 - 2018/1
N2 - Objective Transgender (trans) adults are identified as an at-risk group for problem alcohol use. Descriptive empirical data examining alcohol behaviors among trans adults is limited. The present study investigates alcohol behaviors – quantity, frequency, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope motives – across sex assigned at birth, gender expression, and gender identity subgroups within a sample of trans adults. Method A total of 317 trans participants were recruited to complete a cross-sectional battery of online measures assessing alcohol use behaviors, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope. Gender identity was assessed through two methods: (1) an open-ended question in which participants wrote-in their primary gender identity; and (2) participants rated the extent to which they identified with 14 gender identity categories. Results This sample had high rates of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope motives relative to the general population. Significant and meaningful differences in drinking frequency, alcohol-related problems and drinking motives were found according to gender expression, but not sex assigned at birth or gender identity. Conclusions Future work should examine alcohol behaviors among trans individuals, including investigation of predictors and causal pathways, to inform prevention and intervention work aimed at reducing trans people's risk for alcohol-related problems.
AB - Objective Transgender (trans) adults are identified as an at-risk group for problem alcohol use. Descriptive empirical data examining alcohol behaviors among trans adults is limited. The present study investigates alcohol behaviors – quantity, frequency, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope motives – across sex assigned at birth, gender expression, and gender identity subgroups within a sample of trans adults. Method A total of 317 trans participants were recruited to complete a cross-sectional battery of online measures assessing alcohol use behaviors, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope. Gender identity was assessed through two methods: (1) an open-ended question in which participants wrote-in their primary gender identity; and (2) participants rated the extent to which they identified with 14 gender identity categories. Results This sample had high rates of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and drinking to cope motives relative to the general population. Significant and meaningful differences in drinking frequency, alcohol-related problems and drinking motives were found according to gender expression, but not sex assigned at birth or gender identity. Conclusions Future work should examine alcohol behaviors among trans individuals, including investigation of predictors and causal pathways, to inform prevention and intervention work aimed at reducing trans people's risk for alcohol-related problems.
KW - Alcohol use behaviors
KW - Drinking to cope
KW - Transgender
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U2 - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.08.017
DO - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.08.017
M3 - Article
C2 - 28903090
AN - SCOPUS:85028987450
SN - 0306-4603
VL - 76
SP - 355
EP - 362
JO - Addictive Behaviors
JF - Addictive Behaviors
ER -