New Research about LGBT Youth and Alcohol

This month Tohora interviewed Lee Smith about the awesome new research that she's doing on same-sex attracted young people in New Zealand and alcohol. Check out what she had to say:

 

Tohora: Can you tell us about your research please?

Lee: Previous research has shown that young both-sex attracted people use alcohol at higher rates than exclusively same-sex and exclusively opposite-sex attracted young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

The research study that we are currently conducting aims to identify the reasons for this relatively higher alcohol use in young both-sex attracted people. More specifically, the study investigates specific risk and protective factors that impact on young both-sex attracted people's alcohol use. In other words, specific things that may lead young both-sex attracted people to engage in risky drinking behaviours, and other factors that may protect them from problematic alcohol consumption.

Once the study has identified risk and protective factors, this evidence can then be used by public health organizations such as the Ministry of Health to develop interventions that reduce alcohol use in both-sex attracted young people.

 

T: Why's it so important?

L: Alcohol use can cause considerable harm. For example, alcohol use can result in drink-driving, with potentially fatal outcomes, or it can cause risk behaviours such as unsafe sexual practices. If young both-sex attracted people use alcohol at higher rates, then they are likely to also be experiencing higher levels of alcohol-related harm. Therefore, to prevent higher levels of harm, interventions should be developed that are targeted to and effectively reduce alcohol use in young both-sex attracted people.

This study is important because it provides the knowledge and evidence that is required to develop interventions that successfully reduce alcohol use in young both-sex attracted people. We need to know what puts young both-sex attracted people at risk of and what protects them from using alcohol to be able to develop effective interventions that increase protective factors and combat risk factors for alcohol use.

 

T: How can young people be involved?

L: If you are between 18-25 years old and attracted to both men and women and live in Auckland, Wellington or Dunedin, then you can participate in the study. Young transwomen and transmen who are both-sex attracted are of course also warmly invited to participate. You will be asked to participate in a focus group, which involves discussing alcohol use with 5-7 other both-sex attracted young people for 60-90min.

In return for participating, there will be good food for you at the focus group. You will also receive a report of the research findings, and will be invited to a presentation of the research results after completion of the study. But possibly most importantly, you will have contributed to developing evidence that can be used to develop interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm in young both-sex attracted people.

 

T: What do you hope to achieve from your research?

L: Little is known about the risk and protective factors of alcohol use in young both-sex attracted people to this date not only in New Zealand, but also internationally. This lack of knowledge reflects the relative lack of research on alcohol use in sexual minority populations more broadly, but evidence on alcohol use in young both-sex attracted populations is particularly rare.

This lack of knowledge prevents public health organizations from developing interventions that reduce alcohol-related harms in young both-sex attracted people.

The study will provide evidence that is required for developing effective public health interventions that reduce alcohol use and, in turn, alcohol-related harm in young both-sex attracted people. In addition, the evidence that the study will provide will also help alcohol addiction prevention and treatment practitioners to better understand the underlying factors contributing to alcohol use in young both-sex attracted people; this improved understanding will inform these health practitioners’ work with clients who are young and both-sex attracted.

 

T: What ideas do you have to set up an intervention from the information you get?

Until we have learnt from young both-sex attracted people in the focus groups which factors influence their alcohol use, we do not know which interventions might work. However, the report of the study findings will include recommendations for interventions that public health organizations can use to reduce alcohol-related harm in young both-sex attracted people.

 

T: Can you tell us who Tom Hamilton and Frank Pega are for those who don't know.

Tom Hamilton is the Executive Director of Rainbow Youth. Tom and Rainbow Youth collaborate with us in the study.

Frank Pega is the lead researcher of the study. Frank is a Research Fellow at the Department of Public Health of the University of Otago, Wellington. He has conducted research on sexual minority populations in New Zealand for several years.

 

T: How can the public help?

L: Everybody can help by spreading the word about the study to young both-sex attracted people living in Auckland, Wellington or Dunedin.

If you would like to display a poser of the study in a place where young both-sex attracted people are likely to see it, then please just email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and I will supply you with the poster. Thank you.

 

 

Posted by Editor on 01/18 at 10:03am
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