(PS9-62) Shaken, Not Stirred: Drinking Motives Mediate the Effect of Intersectional Minority Stress on Problematic Drinking Behaviors in Sexual and Racial Minorities

Robust evidence indicates that discrimination and stigma negatively impact both the physical and mental health of minoritized groups. Sexual and Racial Minorities (SRMs) experience multiple forms of oppression due to systemic inequalities, as well as unique barriers due to their intersection of their sexual and racial identities. Preliminary evidence suggests that experiencing minority stress due to both sexual orientation and racial identity (i.e., intersectional minority stress) is related to problematic drinking in SRMs; however, the mechanisms for this effect remain relatively unexplored. To this end, drinking motives have been identified as a key mechanism for the development of problematic drinking in presumably cisgender, heterosexual adults. Drinking motives are comprised of both external motives (i.e. drinking to fit in with a crowd or to conform to social norms) and internal motives (i.e. drinking to cope or to enhance positive emotions). Pertinent research suggests that this mechanism generalizes to young men who have sex with men (MSM), who report motivations to drink more so for external reasons than internal reasons. However, the interrelationships between intersectional minority stress, drinking motives and problematic alcohol use remain untested, particularly with respect to potential differences between men and women. To address this gap, the present study examined drinking motives as a mediator of the association between intersectional minority stress and problematic drinking in male and female cisgender SRMs. Participants were 349 cisgender, SRM adults (57% women) who completed measures of intersectional minority stress, drinking motives, and problematic drinking. A moderated mediation model with parallel mediators was computed to examine the indirect effects of intersectional minority stress on problematic drinking through external and internal drinking motives as moderated by gender identity. Results indicated that intersectional minority stress was significantly and positively associated with problematic drinking (b = 2.64, p < .001). This effect was significantly mediated both external drinking motives (b =.20, p < .001, 95% CI [.1113, .3057]) and internal drinking motives (b =.13, p =.043, 95% CI [.0038, .2686]). The index of moderated mediation was not significant; thus, there was no evidence that these effects significantly varied between men and women. In line with previous literature, results suggest that intersectional minority stress as well as external and internal drinking motives are positively associated with problematic drinking. However, these data are the first to demonstrate that the effect of minority stress due to both sexual orientation and racial identity on problematic drinking is mediated by drinking motives. Results suggest that identifying drinking motives as primary targets of intervention may strengthen alcohol interventions for SRMs. For instance, assessment of drinking motives informs the development of functional models of SRMs problematic alcohol use and, in turn, may guide how interventions are tailored to target the most influential factors which motivate alcohol use.