Assessing the relationship between mental health and AUDIT score among older sexual and gender minorities.

Introduction: Alcohol use, and its relationship with mental health outcomes, remains a public health priority. Yet, little research has focused on this association among aging sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations with even less dedicated to the unique issues of those aging with HIV, a gap we begin to fill here.

Methods: Data for this analysis originated from the Columbus Healthy Aging Project (CHAP), a cross-sectional survey among adults ≥50 years who reside in the Columbus, Ohio. Multivariable linear regression models were utilized to assess the relationship between alcohol use (via AUDIT score) and several mental health outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and sexual orientation microaggressions), adjusting for demographic characteristics and other risk factors. Models were assessed for moderation by self-reported HIV status.

Results: Among the entire sample (N = 787), mean perceived stress score was 18.2 (SD=5.5), mean anxiety score was 9.1 (5.9), and mean depression score was 9.9 (SD=6.7). 32 (7.4%) self-reported as PLWH. Among those reporting any alcohol use, mean AUDIT score use was 10.5 (SD=10.9). Each of the mental health outcome measures were positively associated with AUDIT score. Meanwhile, there was significant moderation of each of the mental health outcome measures by HIV status, suggesting a stronger association with AUDIT score in each case.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that there are broad stressors impacting alcohol use not only among older SGM broadly but in particular among PLWH. Although a diverse set of results, these data highlight the need for more research on alcohol use among aging SGM populations, particularly PLWH and those identifying as a different gender identity.