# Sexual orientation, gender identity, and alcohol use: A multi-method analysis of developmental differences and key mechanisms

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK · 2022 · $68,388

## Abstract

Project Abstract:
Over 95,000 people will die this year in the United States from excessive alcohol use and misuse (AU/M).
Although alcohol is the substance most commonly used by teens, sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY)
are more likely to engage in early and excessive AU/M than heterosexual and cisgender youth, placing them at
greater risk for AU/M across the life course. The persistence of these disparities over the past several decades
indicates an urgent need for research identifying critical periods for prevention. Yet, there remain pressing
questions regarding the onset, progression, and mutable mechanisms that contribute to SGM-related
disparities in AU/M during adolescence. The objective of the proposed research is twofold. First, I aim to
examine developmental trends of AU/M across groups of youth defined by sexual orientation, gender identity,
and race/ethnicity. Second, I will explore how normative mechanisms of alcohol use (e.g., social norms, peer
influence) coincide and coexist with SGM-specific experiences (e.g., stigma) to influence SGMY alcohol use.
The project will leverage the California Healthy Kids Survey, a unique population-based data source of more
than one million adolescents, and primary mixed methods data collection to complete the following research
aims: (Aim 1.1) Estimate developmental trends in the prevalence of AU/M across groups defined by (1.1a)
sexual orientation, gender identity and (1.1b) the intersections of these identities with race/ethnicity; (Aim 1.2)
Examine the extent to which bias-based bullying and perceived harm of alcohol use attenuate differences in
developmental trends of AU/M across groups defined by (1.2a) sexual orientation, gender identity and (1.2b)
the intersections of these identities with race/ethnicity; and (2) Explore how SGM-specific and normative
adolescent factors collectively shape AU/M among SGMY. To accomplish these goals, I require additional
training in SGM-specific and developmentally typical mechanisms of AU/M disparities, and complex
quantitative and mixed methods approaches to investigating SGMY’s AU/M. The training plan combines
tailored mentorship from sponsors and consultants with formal coursework and training seminars to provide me
with the skills, resources, and mentorship needed to reach my long-term goal of becoming an independent
researcher focused on understanding and eliminating AU/M inequities among SGMY. Elucidating the interplay
of normative adolescent and SGMY-specific stressors implicated in SGMY AU/M will allow me to develop
future research that contributes to developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant interventions to interrupt
AU/M pathways and support resiliency in SGMY.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10537263
- **Project number:** 1F32AA030194-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
- **Principal Investigator:** Meg Bishop
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $68,388
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10537263

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10537263, Sexual orientation, gender identity, and alcohol use: A multi-method analysis of developmental differences and key mechanisms (1F32AA030194-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10537263. Licensed CC0.

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