Premium
Do New Zealand sexual minorities engage in more hazardous drinking than non‐sexual minorities?
Author(s) -
Surace Anthony,
Riordan Benjamin C.,
Winter Taylor
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.12940
Subject(s) - logistic regression , sexual minority , environmental health , alcohol consumption , psychology , stigma (botany) , medicine , demography , social psychology , alcohol , sexual orientation , psychiatry , sociology , biochemistry , chemistry
Abstract Introduction and Aims Research has shown that sexual minorities (SMs) throughout the world display more alcohol use related problems than non‐SMs. To date, however, this research has not been replicated in New Zealand. The aim of the current study is to determine whether SMs in New Zealand drink more hazardously than non‐SMs. Design and Methods Secondary data analyses were performed using data from the 2015/16 and 2016/17 New Zealand Health Survey. Results Using a Bayesian logistic regression model we tested whether SM status predicted hazardous alcohol consumption. We found that SMs were 2.2 times (95% HDI [1.7–2.7]) more likely to drink hazardously than non‐SMs, but this effect was largely driven by sexual minority women (SMW). Discussion and Conclusion New Zealand SMs engaged in more hazardous drinking than non‐SMs, an effect driven by SMW. A potential reason for these findings could be that, despite New Zealand's relative acceptance of SMs, structural/social discrimination may persist and have a disproportionate effect on women. More research is needed to determine what factors, such as stigma/discrimination, impact SMs’ alcohol use in New Zealand.