Hequembourg
This research examines gender and sexual identity differences in alcohol use and victimization among gay, lesbian and bisexual men and women.

This Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award provided support for advanced statistical and qualitative analytic training (including use of Atlas.ti software), as well as the completion of a mixed-methods study to examine the relationship between victimization and substance use among sexual minority men and women. Extensive baseline surveys were conducted to assess participants’ mental health symptoms, victimization experiences (i.e., sexual aggression, intimate partner violence, bias-based discrimination), substance use, and coping strategies. Event-based qualitative interviews identified characteristics of recent sexual aggression events. Participants included nearly 400 gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and bisexual women, thus allowing for the examination of gender and sexual identity differences in the outcomes of interest from a sexual minority stress perspective. The study was conducted in collaboration with Kathleen A. Parks, PhD, R. Lorraine Collins, PhD, of UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, and Michael R. Frone, PhD).
Funded by a grant of $579,325 from NIAAA, 2006-2012.