Positive and negative affect differentially relate to alcohol and cannabis use in LGBTQ+ and cisgender-straight heavy-drinking adults: Results of an ambulatory assessment study.

OBJECTIVE

Previous research has found that momentary positive affect precedes alcohol use, whereas results have been more mixed for negative affect.

METHOD: This study replicates and builds upon this literature by using a heavy drinking sample, half lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, and other minoritized sexual and gender identities (LGBTQ+) individuals.

RESULTS

This study found that positive affect was related to subsequent alcohol use, but the relation was weaker for LGBTQ+ individuals compared to cisgender-straight individuals. Negative affect was negatively related to alcohol use in the overall sample, but LGBTQ+ individuals reported drinking more drinks following increased negative affect, and this effect was not significant for cisgender-straight individuals. Finally, positive affect was related to subsequent cannabis use, and negative affect was negatively related to cannabis use, which did not differ based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

CONCLUSIONS

Future research should explore the impact of minority stress on the association between affect and drinking behaviors to understand the differential role of affect on LGBTQ+ individual's substance use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).