NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Men and women
who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are more likely to misuse
opioids when compared with those who identify as heterosexual, a
new study shows.
Led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine and published
online Nov. 19 in the American
Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study estimates that 5
percent of adults who identify as heterosexual in the U.S. have
misused opioids in the past year, while the number climbs to 9
percent for individuals who identify as gay or lesbian, and 12
percent for those who identify as bisexual. And just within the
past month, 1 percent of those who identify as heterosexual have
used opioids, while 4 percent of those who identify as bisexual
have.
The study relies on data from among 42,802 people involved in
the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Study
participants were surveyed about their sexual orientation and any
misuse of opioids in the past year, as well as past-month and
past-year prescription opioid use. Misuse was categorized as using
the drug without a prescription, using in larger amounts or for
longer than directed, or using against a doctor's
recommendation.
According to researchers, previous studies have found that those
who identify as gay or bisexual are more likely to use drugs and
experience addiction-related illnesses, such as alcoholism and use
of other drugs. Researchers say the new study is the first of its
kind to examine differences in sexual orientation using a
nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S.
Among the study's key findings were that women who identified as
bisexual were twice as likely to misuse opioids when compared with
individuals with other sexual orientations.
"Our study highlights that adults of sexual minority status —
particularly women identifying as bisexual — are at increased risk
for opioid misuse," says senior study author Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, an associate
professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU School of
Medicine and a researcher in the Center for Drug Use and HIV/HCV
Research at NYU College of Global Public Health. "With the opioid
crisis escalating nationwide, it is important to focus on
preventing misuse among groups at highest risk."
The researchers believe the underlying cause of opioid misuse
among bisexual women could be their need for a coping mechanism
from the stress and stigma that arises from being not only a
minority within a largely heterosexual culture, but also within the
lesbian and gay community.
To address the growing problem of opioid misuse in these groups,
the researchers advocate for the development of more educational
programming to help prevent drug use and misuse.
"Primary care providers, educators, and even parents should
consider sexual orientation when assessing those at risk of opioid
misuse," says Dustin T. Duncan, ScD,
an associate professor in the Department of Population Health at
NYU School of Medicine, a researcher in the Center for Drug Use and
HIV/HCV Research, and lead author on the study. "Not only do we
need to consider sexual orientation as a risk factor, but we also
need to monitor these groups more closely once they've been
identified."
In addition to authors Duncan and Palamar, Sophia Zweig, BS, and H. Rhodes Hambrick, BS,
from NYU Langone Health, served as research assistants on this
study.
Funding support for the study was provided by National
Institutes of Health grant K01 DA038800.
Media Inquiries:
Jamie
Liptack
212-404-4279
Jamie.liptack@nyulangone.org
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SOURCE NYU Langone Health