Sexual minority disparities in opioid and benzodiazepine misuse among adults with opioid use disorder. Issue 3 (3rd March 2022) - Struble, Cara A.
Abstract: Background and Objectives: Sexual minority individuals demonstrate disparate rates of substance use. Research suggests that bisexual women are vulnerable to substance use disorders when compared to other sexual minority groups. This study explored differences in prevalence of past‐year alcohol use disorder (AUD) with and without concurrent past‐year opioid and/or benzodiazepine misuse. Methods: The present study utilized responses from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) public dataset between the years 2015–2019 ( N = 16, 002) to examine the association between sexual orientation and concurrent misuse of opioids and/or benzodiazepines among individuals with past‐year AUD, stratified by sex. Results: Bisexual females demonstrated higher rates of concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use compared to all other groups. Although there was no association between sexual orientation and concurrent substance use patterns among males, female respondents with past‐year AUD endorsing past‐year misuse of opioids and benzodiazepines, both alone and in combination, were more likely to be bisexual compared to heterosexual. Lesbians were less likely to endorse concurrent misuse of opioids and benzodiazepines compared to bisexual females. Discussion and Conclusions: In a national sample, bisexual females demonstrated higher odds of risky concurrent substance use patterns. Identifying sexual minority individuals who exhibit elevated risk of co‐occurring alcohol, opioid, and/or benzodiazepine misuse is an important step to targeted prevention efforts and allocation of resources to combat rising overdose deaths. Scientific Significance: For the first time, this study explored risky concurrent alcohol, opioid, and benzodiazepine misuse patterns among individuals of different sexual orientations.