DIVERSITY SUPPLEMENT PROJECT SUMMARY The overarching goal of this diversity supplement is to evaluate links among alcohol use, alcohol misuse, and oxidative stress among a diverse sample of sexual minority young adults. I propose to analyze secondary data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study to address the proposed aims that fall within the scope of the parent grant’s research objectives and expand upon it by identifying prospective patterns of oxidative stress related to alcohol use (frequency) and alcohol misuse (quantity, e.g., binge drinking) as indicators of health. Guiding the proposal are three specific aims: (1) Characterize longitudinal changes of oxidative stress via 8-Isoprostane over 3 years by sociodemographic characteristics (sexual orientation/identity, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status) among sexual minority young adults. (2) Describe longitudinal associations between alcohol use, alcohol misuse, and 8-Isoprostane over 3-years among sexual minority young adults. (3) Determine whether associations between alcohol use, alcohol misuse, and 8-Isoprostane over 3 years differ by sociodemographic characteristics (sexual orientation/identity, sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status). To test these aims, I propose sophisticated quantitative methodology including parallel latent growth curve analyses which are rarely used to examine longitudinal associations between alcohol use and misuse and oxidative stress among sexual minority young adults. The proposed research will help to determine whether specific subgroups of sexual minority young adults are at greatest risk for immediate care and support. With the mentorship of Dr. Rebecca Evans-Polce and Dr. Sean Esteban McCabe, this diversity supplement training will allow me to: (1) expand my knowledge in the impacts of alcohol use and alcohol misuse on biological processes among diverse sexual minorities across young adulthood, (2) become proficient in analyzing large nationally representative longitudinal data, (3) and improve my grant writing skills. The training acquired through this diversity supplement will position me to obtain my long-term career objective of becoming a leader in NIH-funded research on the associations among minority stressors, alcohol misuse, and other behavioral problems, and biological stress processes as determinants of health among diverse sexual minority populations.

DIVERSITY SUPPLEMENT PROJECT NARRATIVE Sexual minority young adults are at elevated risk for alcohol use and alcohol misuse. High quantity and frequent alcohol use and alcohol misuse are robustly associated with increased oxidative stress, and these alcohol- biology associations are strong predictors of various physical and psychological health conditions and substantially contribute to mortality. The proposed work for this supplement seeks to evaluate the adverse health consequences of alcohol use and alcohol misuse on oxidative stress among sexual minority young adults across sociodemographic subgroups who are known to vary in elevated risk for alcohol use and alcohol misuse but are under-represented in biological studies of health disparities.