OBJECTIVE Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, some U.S. adults have increased alcohol and cannabis use frequency to cope with distress. Among sexual minoritized young adults (SM YAs), coping-related use may be greater due to disproportionate negative social and financial consequences of the pandemic. Nonetheless, it remains unclear whether pandemic substance use has increased among SM YAs compared to non-SM YAs relative to prepandemic levels and whether heightened coping motives mediate these potential differences. METHOD A total of 563 YAs (18-24 years at baseline; 31.0% SM) provided survey data collected across 12 bimonthly assessments. Six assessments were measured in 2015 or 2016 and six across the coronavirus pandemic (2020-2021). Controlling for prepandemic assessments matched by calendar month, latent structural equation models examined group differences in alcohol and cannabis frequency and consequences across the COVID-19 period and tested coping motives as mediators of these differences. RESULTS Substance use and consequences were similar during the pandemic relative to prepandemic levels across groups. Nonetheless, compared to non-SM individuals, SM participants reported greater cannabis frequency, consequences, and cannabis coping motives during the pandemic independent of prepandemic levels. Cannabis use and consequences were each explained largely by coping motives during the pandemic among SM compared to non-SM YAs. These patterns were not found for alcohol outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The COVID-19 pandemic has widened cannabis disparities between SM and non-SM YAs, due in part to pandemic-related increases in coping motives. Responsive public policy is needed that may prevent and remit SM cannabis disparities during societal crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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COVID-19大流行期间应对动机的增加扩大了性少数和非性少数年轻人之间的大麻差异：对大流行之前和整个大流行期间数据的双月评估。

目标 自冠状病毒大流行开始以来，一些美国成年人增加了饮酒和大麻的使用频率以应对痛苦。在性少数年轻人（SM YA）中，由于这一流行病造成了不成比例的负面社会和经济后果，与应对相关的使用可能会更多。尽管如此，目前尚不清楚，相对于大流行前的水平，SM YA 中的大流行性药物使用是否比非 SM YA 有所增加，以及应对动机的增强是否会调节这些潜在差异。方法 总共 563 名青少年（基线为 18-24 岁；31.0% SM）提供了 12 个双月评估收集的调查数据。2015 年或 2016 年进行了六项评估，在冠状病毒大流行期间（2020-2021 年）进行了六项评估。控制与日历月相匹配的大流行前评估，潜在结构方程模型检查了 COVID-19 期间酒精和大麻频率及其后果的群体差异，并测试了作为这些差异调节因素的应对动机。结果 各组在大流行期间的药物使用和后果与大流行前的水平相似。尽管如此，与非 SM 个体相比，SM 参与者在大流行期间报告了更高的大麻使用频率、后果和大麻应对动机，而与大流行前的水平无关。与非 SM 青少年相比，SM 大麻的使用和后果在很大程度上可以通过大流行期间的应对动机来解释。没有发现这些模式对于酒精结果。结论 COVID-19 大流行扩大了 SM 和非 SM 青少年之间的大麻差异，部分原因是与大流行相关的应对动机增加。需要采取积极响应的公共政策，以防止和缓解社会危机期间 SM 大麻的差异。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2023 APA，保留所有权利）。