Say What!? Gay and Lesbian Young Adults’ Understanding of Substance Abuse

Abstract

The LGBT community continues to suffer from high rates of substance abuse (Skinner, 1994). However, previous research identifies gaps in existing knowledge of how men and women, specifically gay and lesbian young adults, understand their own substance use (Marshall, Friedman, Stall, & Thompson, 2009). This study utilizes an online survey website to query anonymously a sample of 18-29 year-old gay and lesbian adults. Participants were recruited by way of snowball sample, word of mouth, email, and verbal announcements to university student organizations. Eligible respondents were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire consisting of basic demographic questions and approximately twelve in-depth questions regarding their background, social conditions, substance use experiences, and views on their use. These responses were coded using NVivo software. The questionnaire data were analyzed for emergent commonalities and variances. The findings consist of core themes from the data regarding how gay and lesbian young adults understand their histories of substance use. This knowledge is crucial to addressing substance abuse in the LGBT community.