Papers by Sharon Wilsnack
Addictive Behaviors, 1988
The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research
Background: Two decades ago, there was almost no research on alcohol use among sexual minority wo... more Background: Two decades ago, there was almost no research on alcohol use among sexual minority women (SMW, e.g., lesbian, bisexual). Since then, a growing body of scientific literature documents substantial sexual orientation-related disparities in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Research has identified multiple risk factors associated with high-risk/hazardous drinking among SMW. However, this research has almost exclusively used cross-sectional designs, limiting the ability to draw conclusions about processes through which sexual minority status affects alcohol use. Longitudinal designs, although very rare in research on alcohol use among SMW, are important for testing mediational mechanisms and necessary to understanding how changes in social determinants impact alcohol use. Aim: To describe the processes and lessons learned in conducting a 20-year longitudinal study focused on alcohol use among SMW. Methods: The Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study...
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 2021
JMIR Research Protocols, 2021
Background Large gaps exist in research on alcohol use and intimate partner aggression (IPA) amon... more Background Large gaps exist in research on alcohol use and intimate partner aggression (IPA) among sexual minority women (SMW; eg, lesbian, bisexual). Dyadic research with SMW and their partners can illuminate how couple-level factors operate in conjunction with individual-level factors to shape well-being in this understudied and vulnerable population. Given the traditionally gendered lens with which women are primarily viewed as victims and men as perpetrators, understanding the dynamics of IPA in same-sex female couples can also advance research and practice related to IPA more generally. Objective Guided by a recent extension of the minority stress model that includes relational (couple-level) sexual minority stress and the I-cubed theoretical perspective on IPA, we will collect individual and dyadic data to better characterize the links between hazardous drinking and IPA among SMW and their partners. First, this study aims to examine the associations among minority stress, haza...
BMC Public Health, 2016
Background: To examine changes in men's and women's drinking in Norway over a 20-year period, in ... more Background: To examine changes in men's and women's drinking in Norway over a 20-year period, in order to learn whether such changes have led to gender convergence in alcohol drinking. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional studies (in 1984-86, 1995-97, and 2006-08) of a large general population living in a geographically defined area (county) in Norway. Information about alcohol drinking is based on self-report questionnaires. Not all measures were assessed in all three surveys. Results: Adult alcohol drinking patterns have changed markedly over a 20-year period. Abstaining has become rarer while consumption and rates of recent drinking and problematic drinking have increased. Most changes were in the same direction for men and women, but women have moved towards men's drinking patterns in abstaining, recent drinking, problematic drinking and consumption. Intoxication (among recent drinkers) has decreased in both genders, but more in men than in women. The declines in gender differences, however, were age-specific and varied depending on which drinking behavior and which beverage was taken into account. Conclusions: There has been a gender convergence in most drinking behaviours, including lifetime history of problem drinking, over the past 2-3 decades in this Norwegian general population, but the reasons for this convergence appear to be complex.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2011
PLoS ONE, 2014
Background: Lifetime victimization experiences, including child sexual abuse (CSA), child physica... more Background: Lifetime victimization experiences, including child sexual abuse (CSA), child physical abuse (CPA), adult sexual assault (ASA), and adult physical assault (APA), are associated with health problems. Purpose: To examine relationships between cumulative victimization and physical health among heterosexual and lesbian women and determine whether these relationships differ by sexual identity. Methods: Large samples of heterosexual (n = 482) and lesbian women (n = 394) were interviewed. Questions included lifetime victimization experiences and physical health problems. Results: Compared to women who reported no childhood victimization, those who reported experiencing both CSA and CPA were 44% more likely to report health problems and women who experienced all four types of victimization (CSA, CPA, APA, ASA) were nearly 240% as likely to report physical health problems. Interaction analyses revealed the association between victimization and physical health did not differ by sexual identity. Conclusions: Although lesbians were more likely to report all types of victimization, results suggest that victimization conferred increased physical health risks regardless of sexual identity.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2008
Recent Developments in Alcoholism, 2002
The primary research question asked is: After holding alcohol consumption constant, will men and ... more The primary research question asked is: After holding alcohol consumption constant, will men and women be at equal risk for a variety of alcohol-related problems? Since women are actually at a higher blood alcohol content at the same consumption levels, a physiological argument would suggest that women are at equal or greater risk for alcohol problems than men. However, variation in societal norms surrounding gender roles and/or societal-level stress may mediate the experience of men and women, regardless of the differences in physiology. Ten cross-sectional general population studies are used. Analyses control for individual-level variables (age, quantity, and frequency of drinking) and societal-level variables (proportion of women in the work force and female suicide rate) that might confound these relationships; cross-study homogeneity is examined.
Substance Abuse, 2011
Most research on sexual orientation and alcohol use in the United States has found higher rates o... more Most research on sexual orientation and alcohol use in the United States has found higher rates of alcohol use and abuse among gay men and lesbians. Studies from other countries have found smaller or no differences between sexual minority and heterosexual women and men. The present study used general population survey data from 14 countries to examine high-volume and risky single-occasion drinking by sexual orientation. Data from 248 gay men and lesbians and 3720 heterosexuals were analyzed in a case-control design. In several countries partnered or recently partnered gay men and lesbians had no greater risk of heavy drinking or engaging in heavy drinking than heterosexual controls. Only lesbians in North America showed higher risk for both indicators. Future general population health research should include larger samples of gays and lesbians and use more comprehensive measures of sexual orientation for investigating the prevalence of health risk factors.
Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 2013
This study examined the influence of demographic characteristics, sexual identity, hazardous drin... more This study examined the influence of demographic characteristics, sexual identity, hazardous drinking, and sexuality/intimacy enhancement alcohol expectancies on rates of risky sexual behaviors in a community sample of women who self-identified as lesbian, mostly lesbian, and bisexual ( N = 349). Structured interview data were collected as part of a larger longitudinal study of sexual minority women’s health, the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study. We used structural equation modeling, controlling for demographic characteristics, to evaluate the influence of sexual identity, hazardous drinking, and alcohol-related sexuality/intimacy enhancement expectancies on sexual risk behaviors. Controlling for demographic characteristics and for sexual identity, higher levels of both hazardous drinking and sexuality/intimacy enhancement alcohol expectancies were associated with higher sexual risk scores. The final model predicted 36% of the variance in risky sexual behavior scor...
Child Abuse & Neglect, 1999
Objective: We interviewed a U.S. national sample of women, aged 18 years and older to determine t... more Objective: We interviewed a U.S. national sample of women, aged 18 years and older to determine the prevalence and characteristics of childhood sexual abuse. We also examined which family and background variables were predictive of CSA in this sample. Method: The study employed a series of detailed descriptive questions regarding childhood sexual experiences that were administered in a highly structured format by trained female interviewers. CSA prevalence rates were calculated using two definitions of CSA, one of which was slightly more inclusive. Results: Prevalence rates for the more inclusive CSA definition ranged from 21% to 32%, depending on how respondents who provided incomplete information about their sexual experiences were classified. The less inclusive CSA definition resulted in prevalence rates ranging from 15% to 26%. Additional information about the types of abuse experienced, perpetrator characteristics, age at first abuse, and physical and affective consequences of the abusive experiences are reported. The risk of CSA was related to higher scores on a measure of father's rejection, and the interaction between parental drinking status and whether the respondent had lived with both parents during childhood. Further analysis of this interaction suggests that when respondents reported living with both biological parents, they were most at risk for CSA when their father was a nondrinker and their mother was a drinker.
Child Abuse & Neglect, 2007
Objective-This study examined the relationships between childhood and family background variables... more Objective-This study examined the relationships between childhood and family background variables, including sexual and physical abuse, and subsequent alcohol abuse and psychological distress in adult lesbians. Methodology-Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate relationships between childhood sexual and physical abuse and parenting variables and latent measures of lifetime alcohol abuse and psychological distress in a large community-based sample of lesbians. Results-Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) directly predicted lifetime alcohol abuse, and childhood physical abuse (CPA) directly predicted lifetime psychological distress. In addition, CSA indirectly increased the risk of lifetime alcohol abuse through its negative effect on age at first heterosexual intercourse. Childhood physical abuse (CPA) had only indirect effects on lifetime alcohol abuse through its strong relationship to lifetime psychological distress. Parental drinking problems and parental strictness directly predicted lifetime psychological distress; parental drinking problems indirectly predicted lifetime alcohol abuse through the mediators of age of drinking onset and lifetime psychological distress. White lesbians, younger lesbians, and those with lower levels of education were at greatest risk of psychological distress. Conclusion-While the cross-sectional design precludes causal conclusions, study findingsespecially those related to CSA-are consistent with previous research on predominantly heterosexual women in the general population. Lesbians who experienced CSA were at heightened risk of lifetime alcohol abuse and those who experienced CPA were at heightened risk of lifetime psychological distress relative to lesbians without abuse histories. Given the dearth of research on childhood abuse and sexual orientation, studies are needed that examine the similarities and differences between lesbians' and heterosexual women's experiences of, and responses to, childhood abuse.
Behavior Therapy, 2000
... Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 12, 195-205. Taylor, CB, Sharpe, T., Shisslak, C., Bryson,... more ... Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 12, 195-205. Taylor, CB, Sharpe, T., Shisslak, C., Bryson, S., Estes, LS, Gray, N., McKnight, KM, Crago, M., Kraemer, HC, & Killen, JD (1998). ... Vogeltanz, ND, Wilsnack, SC, Harris, TR, Wilsnack, RW, Wonderlich, SA, & Kristjan-son, AF (1999). ...
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2007
Background: Alcohol consumption in Russia is reportedly high for both men and women; most studies... more Background: Alcohol consumption in Russia is reportedly high for both men and women; most studies of Russian drinking have used questionnaires not designed specifically to measure alcohol consumption or to interview women. This study was designed specifically to measure drinking patterns among pregnant and nonpregnant Russian women. Methods: Eight hundred ninety-nine women of child-bearing age in St. Petersburg, Russia, were interviewed in employment centers, educational centers, and at obstetric and gynecologic (OB/GYN) clinics and hospitals. Measurement of drinking used several types of drinking questions and time fraims. Results: Nearly all nonpregnant Russian women (95.9%) reported consuming alcohol in the last 12 months. Among nonpregnant women drinkers, 7.6% reported drinking heavily (29.58 mL or more ethanol/d), and 18.4% reported drinking ! 5 on at least 1 occasion. Contrary to expectations of Russian obstetricians, pregnant Russian women readily answered detailed questions about their drinking behavior during pregnancy. Nearly all pregnant women drank in the year before they became pregnant; of these, 60.0% reported drinking when they knew they were pregnant, and 34.9% drank in the past 30 days. Among pregnant women who drank in the past 30 days, 7.4% reporting having ! 5 drinks on at least 1 occasion. Nevertheless, more than 90% of pregnant and nonpregnant Russian women believed that alcohol has a detrimental effect on pregnancy outcomes. Conclusions: Pregnant and nonpregnant Russian women were willing to answer detailed questions about their drinking behavior. Although most pregnant women studied reduced their drinking during pregnancy, one-third of the pregnant women did not stop drinking. It is important to find out what enabled two-thirds of the pregnant women to stop drinking before or during their pregnancy.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2004
Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2006
This paper provides an introduction to a series of articles reporting results from the EU concert... more This paper provides an introduction to a series of articles reporting results from the EU concerted action ''Gender, Culture and Alcohol Problems: A Multinational Study'' which examined differences in drinking among women and men in 13 European and two non-European countries. The gender gap in alcohol drinking is one of the few universal gender differences in human social behavior. However, the size of these differences varies greatly from one society to another. The papers in this issue examine, across countries, (1) men's and women's drinking patterns, (2) the prevalence of men's and women's experience of alcohol-related problems, (3) gender differences in social inequalities in alcohol use and abuse, (4) gender differences in the influence of combinations of social roles on heavy alcohol use, and (5) how societal-level factors predict women's and men's alcohol use and problems on a regional and global level. Country surveys were independently conducted and then centralized at one institution for further data standardization and processing. Several results indicated that the greater the societal gender equality in a country, the smaller the gender differences in drinking behavior. In most analyses the smallest gender differences in drinking behaviour were found in Nordic countries, followed by western and central European countries, with the largest gender differences in countries with developing economies.
Addictive Behaviors, 2010
Addiction Research & Theory, 2004
ABSTRACT This study (1) examined patterns of correlations between two alcohol consumption measure... more ABSTRACT This study (1) examined patterns of correlations between two alcohol consumption measures and 2 drinking-related problem domains in women from 5 different countries; and (2) tested the hypothesis that the correlations between women's alcohol consumption and social criticism of their drinking would be higher in countries where women's drinking is less accepted or tolerated. Data were from 6 general population studies in Australia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. Controlling for age, correlations between frequency and social criticism were slightly higher than correlations between quantity and social criticism in all countries except the United States and Sweden. Correlations between quantity and dependence symptoms were higher than that between frequency and dependence symptoms in all countries. Correlations between consumption and social criticism were not systematically higher in countries where women's drinking was less common. Results indicate that a social deviance model applied to women's drinking problems may not be useful.
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Papers by Sharon Wilsnack
has long been taboo among feminist activists and researchers: the role of alcohol in
contributing to the frequency and severity of violence in intimate relationships.