Oral Presentations - Session 2A: UC 326

Rockin' Formidable Flavor when Rollin' with the Punches: Constellations of Personality Traits and their Observed Effect on Problematic Alcohol Use when Facing Victimization as a Sexual Minority

Presentation Type

Presentation

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Bryan Cochran

Faculty Mentor’s Department

Psychology

Abstract / Artist's Statement

Research has consistently shown that sexual minority individuals are at an elevated risk for substance use. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated links between personality and substance use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations, as well as a relationship between victimization and alcohol use. However, no known research has investigated whether rates of alcohol use in the context of LGBT victimization differ among individuals depending on their underlying personality trait configuration (i.e., personality trait profile; “types”). The current research investigated the influence particular personality “types” have on individuals’ propensity toward alcohol use in the context of LGBT victimization. Participants for this study are drawn from a larger dataset of sexual minority individuals who participated in a one-time online survey. Among the variables measured were demographics, personality traits, LGBT-specific stressors (e.g., victimization), and alcohol usage. Hierarchal OLS regression was employed to test hypotheses, while a Bonferroni correction was applied to further test individual subscales of the AUDIT (consumption, dependence, and use-related problems). We used cluster analysis to empirically derive personality profile “types”, which resulted in the emergence of a two personality profile cluster solution, effectively splitting participants into “adaptive” and “at-risk” profile groups. Support for moderation when experiencing LGBT-victimization, as well as for overall regression models, were statistically significant with regard to AUDIT total and use-related problems, suggesting that “adaptive” individuals are at decreased risk for problematic alcohol use in the context of LGBT-based victimization, relative to their “at-risk” counterparts. An understanding of the different constellations of personality traits that decrease the risk of problematic alcohol use when experiencing LGBT-victimization not only allows for treatments approaches to attenuate their position to certain components of the individuals’ personality/environment more effectively, but can also contribute to an increase of emphasis on combating victimization in prevention efforts, as compared to other sexual minority stressors.

Category

Social Sciences

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Apr 17th, 3:40 PM Apr 17th, 4:00 PM

Rockin' Formidable Flavor when Rollin' with the Punches: Constellations of Personality Traits and their Observed Effect on Problematic Alcohol Use when Facing Victimization as a Sexual Minority

UC 326

Research has consistently shown that sexual minority individuals are at an elevated risk for substance use. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated links between personality and substance use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations, as well as a relationship between victimization and alcohol use. However, no known research has investigated whether rates of alcohol use in the context of LGBT victimization differ among individuals depending on their underlying personality trait configuration (i.e., personality trait profile; “types”). The current research investigated the influence particular personality “types” have on individuals’ propensity toward alcohol use in the context of LGBT victimization. Participants for this study are drawn from a larger dataset of sexual minority individuals who participated in a one-time online survey. Among the variables measured were demographics, personality traits, LGBT-specific stressors (e.g., victimization), and alcohol usage. Hierarchal OLS regression was employed to test hypotheses, while a Bonferroni correction was applied to further test individual subscales of the AUDIT (consumption, dependence, and use-related problems). We used cluster analysis to empirically derive personality profile “types”, which resulted in the emergence of a two personality profile cluster solution, effectively splitting participants into “adaptive” and “at-risk” profile groups. Support for moderation when experiencing LGBT-victimization, as well as for overall regression models, were statistically significant with regard to AUDIT total and use-related problems, suggesting that “adaptive” individuals are at decreased risk for problematic alcohol use in the context of LGBT-based victimization, relative to their “at-risk” counterparts. An understanding of the different constellations of personality traits that decrease the risk of problematic alcohol use when experiencing LGBT-victimization not only allows for treatments approaches to attenuate their position to certain components of the individuals’ personality/environment more effectively, but can also contribute to an increase of emphasis on combating victimization in prevention efforts, as compared to other sexual minority stressors.