# Health Effects of Intersectional Stigma among Sexual Minority Women

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA · 2023 · $180,704

## Abstract

Project Summary
Sexual minority women (SMW) consistently report higher rates of alcohol use than heterosexual women. In
fact, SMW are more likely to be current alcohol users, binge drinkers, and heavy drinkers than heterosexual
women1 and are 11 times more likely to meet the threshold for alcohol use disorder.1-6 While research on SMW's
alcohol use has grown in recent years, a scoping review of the literature from 2000-2017 showed severe
underrepresentation of Black and Latina women.7 Probability data show that 1 in 4 Black women8 and 1 in 5
Latinos9 (across gender) in the US identify as sexual minority. Lack of racial diversity in sampling presumes
that the types, severity and frequency of stressors impacting alcohol use among SMW is uniform across
racial/ethnic groups. As a result, key sociocultural and/or community-level factors impacting alcohol use
among Black and Latina SMW have been minimized or altogether unobserved. The Institute of Medicine
(2011)10 and National Institutes of Health (2019, 2020)11,12 emphasized the need for research that considers
how intersectional stigma across race and sexual orientation creates unique and synergistic experiences of
stress linked to health disparities. Our previous work demonstrates that persistent, ongoing intersectional
stigma among Black and Latina SMW drives negative affect and problematic alcohol use.
The long-term goal of our research is to reduce alcohol-related health disparities in racially diverse SMW. Our
team has the content and methodological expertise to carry out the proposed project, including successful
implementation of daily diary studies and several community-based studies among Black and Latina SMW.
Using baseline measures and a 14-day daily diary, the objective of this R21 application is to test the feasibility
of a theory-driven pilot study that captures daily risk and protective factors associated with negative affect and
problematic drinking among Black and Latina SMW. Levering ongoing research partnerships with several
community organizations in Los Angeles County, the proposed study will sample 212 SMW (N=106 Black;
N=106 Latina) ages 18-40. Respondent driven sampling will ensure successful recruitment of the target sample
as well as appropriate representation across sexual orientation designation and socioeconomic background.
This research study will pursue two specific aims: (1) examine the role of stress (race-based stigma, sexuality-
based stigma, general life stress) on negative affect and problematic alcohol use among Black and Latina SMW,
and (2) explore person-level (race, concealment) and community-level (peer drinking norms, social support)
moderators in the association between daily stress and negative affect and problematic alcohol use. The
proposed research is significant because of its potential to improve public health for SMW by deepening
existing understandings of daily stress effects on alcohol-related health disparities among SMW, particularly
the role of...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10694092
- **Project number:** 5R21AA029513-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA
- **Principal Investigator:** Alison Cerezo
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $180,704
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10694092

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10694092, Health Effects of Intersectional Stigma among Sexual Minority Women (5R21AA029513-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10694092. Licensed CC0.

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