VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for ACA by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 900 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to 2017.
2016
Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Women Who Have Sex With Women
Cort M. Dorn-Medeiros, Cass Dykeman, and Timothy Bergquist
2016
Evidence suggests that women who report same-sex partners may be at particular
risk for experiencing negative health effects from alcohol and tobacco use. Using data pooled from the results of the 2008–2013 New York City Community Health Survey, this study used multiple regression analyses to examine the predictability of annual household income, age, race, and history of depression on frequency and quantity of alcohol and tobacco use within a total sample of women who have sex with women (WSW). Age and history of depression were statistically significant predictors of alcohol use in WSW, and race was a statistically significant predictor of tobacco use with non-Hispanic White respondents.Results of this study provide greatly needed insight into possible risk factors for alcohol and tobacco use among a significantly understudied population. Results also provide strong encouragement for counselors to inquire about sex and sexuality regardless of client self-identified sexual orientation.
Keywords: substance use, tobacco, alcohol, women, sexuality, lesbian, WSW