Predictors of Sex-Linked Marijuana and Alcohol Use in Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Women
Led by Dr. Tierney LorenzUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Study Overview:
This project aims to research how individual differences in sexual response may contribute to sexual minority women’s risk for substance use and misuse.
Specific Aims:
(Aim 1): Develop a novel behavioral measure of sexual reward value.
(Aim 2): Test if sexual response predicts differences in sex-linked substance use in exclusively heterosexual vs. mostly heterosexual women.
Study Sample Population:
N=105 (young adult women grouped by sexual orientation, N=35 exclusively heterosexual/mostly heterosexual/bisexual).
Unique Study Procedures:
This project will use several psychophysiological measures of women’s arousal and reward processing, including vaginal photoplethysmography and heart rate variability.
Long-Term Goals:
This project will have significant impacts on the field. First, it will create a new tool for researchers to assess individual differences in sexual reward value, using behavioral testing. Second, it will create an open access database on substance use risk factors among sexual minority women. Lastly, results from these aims will provide critical pilot data that will support future studies of sex-specific etiology and mechanisms of substance abuse among MHW women.
Dr. Tierney LorenzPROJECT Director
Dr. Lorenz is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department and Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her lab, the Women, Immunity and Sexual Health (WISH) lab, examines the interaction between women's mental, physical and sexual health, including the ways that sexual behavior impacts women's immune and endocrine function, as well as ways to help women with mental and/or physical health conditions have happy, healthy sexual lives.