Harm from Others' Drinking Among Sexual Minority Adults in the United States

Purpose: Due to discrimination and stigma, sexual minority adults may be more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to experience harms from other people's drinking. We compared prevalence of second-hand alcohol harms for sexual minority and heterosexual adults in the United States. Methods: Data from the 2014-15 U.S. National Alcohol Survey (n = 5516; 10.2% sexual minority adults) were analyzed using logistic regression with survey weights to account for sampling and nonresponse. Multivariable models included simple main effects of sexual identity on the past-year harm outcomes, as well as interactions of drinker status with sexual identity. Results: In bivariate results stratified by sex, bisexual women were significantly more likely than heterosexual women to report all five types of harms. Lesbian respondents had greater odds relative to heterosexual women of reporting harm by a friend/coworker and assault or physical harm by a drinker. Bisexual identity among men was associated with greater odds of reporting assault/physical harm relative to heterosexual men in bivariate models. In adjusted models, differences by sexual identity were substantially reduced, with significance remaining only for friend/coworker-perpetrated harms and assault/physical harm among lesbian respondents compared with heterosexual women. For assault/physical harm, an interaction of sexual identity with the respondent's own drinking showed that the increased odds of harm associated with heavy drinking was even greater among sexual minority respondents (both bisexual and lesbian/gay respondents) than among heterosexual respondents. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of preventive interventions that consider disparities in risk for alcohol-related harms, particularly interpersonal violence, among sexual minority adults in the United States.