Examining Discrimination as a Distal Moderator of the Proximal Association Between LGBQ+ College Students' Alcohol Use and Cyber Dating Abuse.

Abstract

Comprehensive and inclusive dating abuse prevention is hindered by a lack of research on proximal antecedents of cyber dating abuse (CDA) among lesbian, gay, bi-/pansexual, queer, and other nonheterosexual (LGBQ+) young adults. Guided by sexual minority stress and alcohol-related violence theories, we addressed this gap by examining whether (a) alcohol use preceded and was positively related to CDA perpetration and (b) more frequent LGBQ+-based discrimination strengthened this association. LGBQ+ college students (N = 41; 75.6% women, 22% men, and 2.4% transgender/nonbinary) completed baseline assessments of past-year LGBQ+-specific discrimination (hostility, heterosexist harassment, and incivility) followed by daily assessments of alcohol use and CDA for 60 days. Multilevel modeling revealed that participants were less likely to perpetrate CDA on days when they consumed more alcohol than usual (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = .49, p < .001). Individuals who experienced more frequent hostility (aOR = .63, p < .001) and incivility (aOR = .88, p = .003) were less likely to perpetrate CDA. No other main effects or alcohol × discrimination interactions emerged. Alcohol may not be a proximal antecedent of LGBQ+ college students' CDA. Daily assessments of discrimination and couple-level coping may help clarify the role of LGBQ+-specific discrimination in CDA.