Date of Award

8-31-2017

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

David Pantalone

Second Advisor

Sarah Hayes-Skelton

Third Advisor

Alice Carter

Abstract

Alcohol abuse remains a serious public health issue in the U.S. While research on drinking motives provides a way to understand the function of problematic drinking, there has been a lack of empirical work specifically looking at patterns of drinking motives and behaviors among sexual minority men (SMM), who are more likely to use alcohol and experience higher rates of substance abuse problems compared to the general population (CDC, 2013). A sample of 475 self-identified SMM completed an online survey that included measures of drinking motives, depressive and anxious symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and drinking behaviors and problems. Results indicate that, with one exception, the drinking motives factor structure with this population is similar to that which has been established in prior published work. Further, in contrast to established findings in other populations, coping motives do not mediate the association between depressive symptoms and drinking problems, and enhancement motives do not mediate the association between anxiety and drinking problems. However, coping motives partially mediate the association between PTSD symptoms and drinking problems. The results suggest that SMM experience unique patterns of mental health factors, drinking motives, and drinking behaviors, and point to a need for the development of interventions targeting these patterns and which account for their unique stressors and experiences, particularly PTSD symptoms.

Comments

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