Drabble Laurie, Trocki Karen F
San José State University School of Social Work, Associate Professor, One Washington Square, San José, CA 95192-0124, (408) 924-5836.
Research Scientist, Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute, 6475 Christie Ave. Suite 400, Emeryville, CA 94608.
Addict Res Theory. 2014 Jun 1;22(3):186-194. doi: 10.3109/16066359.2013.806651.
The aim of this study was to explore social representations of alcohol use among women, with a focus on possible differences between sexual minority and heterosexual women.
This qualitative study was part of a larger study examining mediators of heavier drinking among sexual minority women (lesbian identified, bisexual identified, and heterosexual identified with same sex partners) compared to heterosexual women based on the National Alcohol Survey. Qualitative in-depth life history interviews were conducted over the telephone with 48 women who had participated in the 2009-2010 National Alcohol Survey, including respondents representing different sexual orientation groups. Questions explored the lives and experiences of women, and how use of alcohol may connect to those experiences.
Representations about normative and risky use included social use, use in relation to community connection, addictive use and self-medication. Other representations common across groups included articulation of boundaries that were defined by negative exemplars, marked by indicators of loss of control, and maintained through selective engagement of social networks. Although representations across groups were similar, some representations, such as alcohol use in fostering community connection, appeared to be more salient for sexual minority women. The findings of the study underscore the importance of considering both commonalities and potential differences among women by sexual orientation in meanings and perceived risks associated with alcohol use in future research and intervention efforts.
本研究旨在探讨女性饮酒的社会表征，重点关注性少数群体女性与异性恋女性之间可能存在的差异。
这项定性研究是一项更大规模研究的一部分，该研究基于全国酒精调查，考察性少数群体女性（自我认定为女同性恋、双性恋以及有同性伴侣的异性恋）与异性恋女性相比，饮酒量较大的中介因素。通过电话对48名参与了2009 - 2010年全国酒精调查的女性进行了定性深入的生活史访谈，其中包括代表不同性取向群体的受访者。问题涉及女性的生活和经历，以及饮酒如何与这些经历相关联。
关于正常饮酒和危险饮酒的表征包括社交性饮酒、与社区联系相关的饮酒、成瘾性饮酒和自我治疗性饮酒。各群体共有的其他表征包括通过负面例子来界定界限，以失去控制的指标为标志，并通过有选择地参与社交网络来维持。尽管各群体的表征相似，但一些表征，如饮酒在促进社区联系方面的作用，对性少数群体女性似乎更为突出。该研究结果强调了在未来的研究和干预工作中，考虑按性取向划分的女性在饮酒意义和感知风险方面的共性和潜在差异的重要性。
