Review: Prevalence and Co-Occurrence of Addictions Among Sexual Minority Subgroups

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present current data on the prevalence and co-occurrence of 12 substance and behavioral addictions among adult cisgender sexual minorities (SM). We utilized MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases to systematically review the literature on alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, illicit drugs, gambling, eating/food, Internet, sex, love, exercise, work, and shopping within the SM community. Peer reviewed empirical articles in English from 2000 to 2019 were included. When possible, we compared prevalence and co-occurrence statistics between four SM subgroups (stratified into lesbian women, bisexual women, gay men, and bisexual men), and used heterosexual women and men as reference groups. Studies were scant within each area of addiction with the most studies focusing on addictions acknowledged within the DSM-V (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, illicit drugs, gambling). Significantly fewer studies addressed the prevalence and co-occurrence of behavioral addictions across SM subgroups. Most studies assessing addiction among SM populations either categorize SMs into a single group or only stratify by gender. However, even with limited research, the findings from this review suggest that significant differences in addictive behaviors exist when comparing one SM subgroup to another. There is a strong need for more research that quantifies these disparities through prevalence and co-occurrence statistics.

Review: Prevalence of Addictions among Transgender and Gender Diverse Subgroups

“…As in our previous review of SM subgroups, there was substantially less research that investigated behavioral addictions as a function of gender identity [1]. However, despite a limited number of published studies, there is compelling evidence to suggest that prevalence rates may vary significantly between individual GM subgroups.…”

“…Despite growing acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community over recent years, this subset of the population remains at a significantly elevated risk of addiction compared to the general U.S. adult population [1]. While many studies have historically analyzed sexual minorities (SMs) and gender minorities (GMs) as single homogenous groups, there is a growing recognition of the significant differences that exist among individual LGBQ and T subgroups.…”

“…A recent review analyzed the prevalence and co-occurrence of a wide range of substance use disorders and behavioral addictions among four cisgender SM subgroups 2 of 16 (i.e., gay men, lesbian women, bisexual men, and bisexual women) and concluded that addiction rates varied markedly from one subgroup to another [1]. In this paper, we have applied a similar framework, but with the aim of better understanding how addiction rates may differ between individual TGD subgroups.…”

“…In this review, as in previous studies, we analyzed the prevalence of 12 addictions (substances: alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and illicit drugs; behaviors: gambling, food/eating, Internet, exercise, sex, love, shopping, and work) [1,9]. We have prioritized studies that assessed addictions using DSM-V criteria; however, we included several studies which measured addictions using alternative metrics (e.g., hazardous drinking as a proxy for an alcohol use disorder).…”

Effectiveness of the Cognitive Restructuring Approach on Irrational Beliefs and Hopelessness in Individuals With a Substance Abuse Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…3 Substance abuse disorder involves the inability to freely choose to stop or continue a behavior (ie, lose control) and lead to the experience of adverse behavioral consequences. 4 There are many factors involved in the tendency of people to abuse drugs and its continuation. Among the most important of them are irrational and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes in addicted people, which are considered cognitive factors.…”