Haik Amanda K, Hussong Andrea M
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2023 Aug 4;13(8):655. doi: 10.3390/bs13080655.
Sexual minority young adults (SMYAs), compared to heterosexual young adults (HYAs), are a uniquely high-risk population for problematic substance use, a disparity perhaps exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested whether SMYAs had more problematic substance use than HYAs during the pandemic due to isolation and loneliness as well as lower family closeness. Participants ( = 141) aged 23-29 completed self-report surveys in 2014-2015 as college students and in the summer of 2021 as young adults (59% White, 26% Black/African American, 9% Asian/Middle Eastern, 6% Hispanic/Latino, and <1% American Indian/Alaska Native). Results of multivariate regression and multiple group path analyses did not support hypothesized effects-SMYAs did not have greater increases in problematic substance use compared to HYAs, isolation and loneliness were not significant mediators, and family closeness was not a significant moderator. However, SMYAs experienced a lack of social safety-increased loneliness and decreased family closeness-compared to HYAs. Further research is needed to investigate both the impact and underlying processes of this decreased social safety on SMYA well-being beyond the pandemic to better inform tailored supports and interventions.
与异性恋年轻成年人（HYAs）相比，性少数年轻成年人（SMYAs）是物质使用问题的一个独特的高风险人群，这种差异可能因新冠疫情而加剧。本研究测试了在疫情期间，由于隔离和孤独以及较低的家庭亲密度，SMYAs的物质使用问题是否比HYAs更多。参与者（n = 141）年龄在23 - 29岁之间，在2014 - 2015年作为大学生完成了自我报告调查，并在2021年夏天作为年轻成年人再次完成调查（59%为白人，26%为黑人/非裔美国人，9%为亚洲人/中东人，6%为西班牙裔/拉丁裔，不到1%为美洲印第安人/阿拉斯加原住民）。多元回归和多组路径分析的结果不支持假设效应——与HYAs相比，SMYAs在物质使用问题上没有更大的增加，隔离和孤独不是显著的中介因素，家庭亲密度也不是显著的调节因素。然而，与HYAs相比，SMYAs经历了社会安全感的缺失——孤独感增加且家庭亲密度降低。需要进一步研究以调查这种社会安全感下降对疫情后SMYAs幸福感的影响及潜在过程，以便更好地为量身定制的支持和干预措施提供信息。
