Several researchers have hypothesized that social processes, particularly social norms, may account for the higher rates of alcohol use disorders in LGB populations (Bux Jr., 1996; Eisenberg & Wechsler, 2003; Hatzenbuehler, Corbin, & Fromme, 2008a; McKirnan & Peterson, 1989). Social norms refer to the influence of the environment on an individual’s level of alcohol consumption and are predictors of alcohol use and associated problems among general samples of young adults (Larimer, Turner, Mallett, & Geisner, 2004; Sher, Bartholow, & Nanda, 2001) as well as in the U.S. adult population (Greenfield & Room, 1997). One nationally representative study of college students found that school-wide prevalence of substance use (i.e., social norms for use) did not predict the substance use behaviors of LGB students (Eisenberg & Wechsler, 2003). However, these norms were based almost exclusively on heterosexual students’ drinking habits, rather than the specific social norms for substance use within sexual minority social networks. In contrast, studies measuring social norms within sexual minority communities have tended to document that these norms are significantly predictive of substance use behaviors among LGB respondents (Hatzenbuehler, Corbin, & Fromme, 2008a; Trocki et al., 2005).
