Intersections between young women’s racial/ethnic identities and sexual orientation on rates of sexual violence and substance use

Abstract

ABSTRACT Little is known about rates of sexual violence and associations with substance use as a function of women’s race/ethnicity and sexual orientation. Women ( N = 546; 18-29 years old) were recruited from a reproductive healthcare clinic. Five regression analyses examined (a) rates of sexual violence and (b) associations between sexual violence and substance use outcomes (heavy alcohol use, marijuana use, cigarette use, cigarette quantity) based on sexual orientation. Subsequent regression analyses examined race/ethnicity as a moderator of the associations between sexual orientation and (a) sexual violence and (b) substance use. Most women were heterosexual (64%) and 35% reported unwanted sex. Sexual minority women (SMW) reported higher rates of sexual violence and substance use than heterosexual women. Sexual violence was more strongly associated with heavy alcohol use for SMW than heterosexual women. Although SMW were more likely to report sexual violence than heterosexual women, this association was weaker for Black/Latinx women than non-Hispanic White women (aOR= 0.39, 95%CI [0.18, 0.82]). Race/ethnicity did not moderate the associations between sexual violence and substance use. SMW have unique needs around sexual violence experiences and substance use, regardless of race/ethnicity. These findings provide further support for implementing trauma-informed approaches to substance use prevention.