Sexual minority identifiers and their perception of illicit drug use risks in the US: Results from a National Survey

Abstract

PurposeThis study examined the relationship between sexual identities and perception of risks associated with illicit drug use among a nationally representative sample of US adults. MethodsWe analyzed data from five waves of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, 2015–2019), with 205,418 adult participants. Six survey questions assessing participants’ perceptions of the risks associated with illicit drug use (LSD, heroin, and cocaine) were subjected to principal component analysis. Sex-stratified ordered logistic regressions were used to explore potential disparities in perceptions regarding the risk associated with illicit drug use among sexual minority identifiers. ResultsAmong male participants, approximately 11.3% and 1.8% of them perceived illicit drug use as moderate and low risks, respectively. About 6.0% of female participants perceived illicit drug use as moderate risk, and 1.1% of female participants perceived it as low risk. The sex-stratified regression models demonstrated that participants who identified as lesbian/gay or bisexual all had higher odds of reporting low perception of illicit drug use risks as compared to their heterosexual counterparts (all p < 0.01). ConclusionsIllicit drug use prevention strategies should consider risk perception disparities by sexual minority populations.