Association Between Religious Salience and Past-Year Substance Use by Sexual Identity and Sex Among Adults in the United States.

Purpose: We examined if associations between religious salience and substance use outcomes differed by sexual identity and sex in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States.

Methods

Using data from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (N = 41,216 adults), logistic regression models tested whether sexual identity and sex moderated the associations between religious salience (agreement on the importance of religious beliefs) and past-year alcohol and drug use and use disorders.

Results

Religious salience reduced risk of alcohol use disorder, drug use, and drug use disorder for heterosexual, but not lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB), individuals. Three-way interactions indicated that religious salience was more protective against alcohol use and drug use and use disorder for bisexual men than bisexual women.

Conclusions

Heterosexism common in dominant religious institutions in the United States might hamper the protective effect of religiosity on substance use for LGB individuals.