Substance Use and Discrimination in a Sample of U.S.-Based Latinx Sexual Minority Men and Their Main Partners

Objective: Substance use, including drug and alcohol misuse, is associated with myriad health conditions, including a higher risk for HIV infection. Although preliminary evidence suggests that higher levels of relationship functioning can buffer against the deleterious health consequences of discrimination on mental health broadly, such protective associations have been understudied with respect to alcohol and drug use. The topic is particularly understudied among Latino sexual minority men even though they are at greater risk for problematic substance use behaviors and are likely to experience multiple forms of discrimination (e.g., racism, homophobia). Method: To address this gap in the literature, we sampled 95 predominantly Latino sexual minority male couples to assess their drinking and drug use behaviors, relationship functioning, and experiences of discrimination. We used Actor–Partner Interdependence models to test our hypotheses. Results: We found that having a partner who experienced discrimination and higher partner reports of relationship functioning buffered against the negative relationship between own experiences of discrimination and drug use, but not problematic drinking. Conclusions: Our results suggest that higher relationship functioning serves as a buffer between the negative ramifications of discrimination on drug use, but not problematic drinking. We explicate implications for policy and practice to facilitate well-being among coupled Latino sexual minority men.