Gender norms linked to substance use in LGBTQ+ youth

This study examines how restrictive masculinity norms—traits like emotional suppression, dominance, and risk-taking—affect behavioral health outcomes among sexual and gender minority (SGM) young adults aged 18-25 in Rhode Island. The research found that higher levels of restrictive masculinity norms were significantly associated with increased risks across multiple health behaviors, including cannabis use disorder (CUD), alcohol use disorder, heroin use, intimate partner violence, problematic pornography use, and problem gambling. Importantly, among SGM participants, each one-unit increase in restrictive masculinity norms score was linked to a 3% increased risk of cannabis use disorder, suggesting that culturally-enforced masculine ideals may drive unhealthy coping mechanisms within this population.

The study reveals particularly alarming disparities among transgender young adults, where the effects of restrictive masculinity norms were substantially more pronounced. While the relationship with cannabis use disorder alone was not statistically significant in this subgroup, transgender participants showed dramatically elevated risks for heroin use and other behavioral health problems compared to their cisgender SGM counterparts. The researchers conclude that addressing and deconstructing restrictive masculinity norms represents a modifiable pathway for reducing behavioral health inequities among vulnerable young adults, with implications for public health interventions targeting substance use prevention and mental health support in SGM communities.

This research underscores how social and cultural gender expectations shape substance use patterns differently across diverse populations, challenging the assumption that risk factors operate uniformly across demographic groups.