Research examines alcohol use and stress during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we work, perform our daily routines and engage in behaviors related to our health and well-being. A new study examined differences in alcohol use by sexual and gender identities during the pandemic and assessed whether pandemic-related stressors and minority stress explained variation between groups.

Researchers found gay, lesbian and bisexual people had higher odds of drinking to cope with the pandemic. Gay and lesbian people drank more regularly than did heterosexual people, as did cisgender men in relation to cisgender women. Exclusively bisexual people drank significantly more drinks than exclusively heterosexual people, and cisgender men drank significantly more drinks than did cisgender women and those who identified as trans/another gender identity.

“Social, emotional and physical health have declined since the onset of the pandemic, and the use of alcohol and other substances has increased,” said Susan Stewart, lead author and professor of sociology at Iowa State University. “It is important that we continue to assess how sources of stress as well as discrimination influence alcohol use.”

The research, published in the journal Plos One, analyzed data from nearly 2,500 partnered adults, and controlled for demographic and socioeconomic factors. The article, “Sexual and gender identities and alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic,” is available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0308925.