ADDRESS:
School of Nursing
University at Buffalo
209 Wende Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214-3079
PHONE: 716-829-2608
EMAIL: ahequemb@buffalo.edu
My research and much of my professional service is aimed at addressing health disparities affecting sexual minorities. By seeking an understanding of the mechanisms fueling this public health crisis, my research aims to inform effective interventions that will improve the health and well-being of sexual minorities.
Amy Hequembourg is an associate professor for the School of Nursing and has devoted her research to understanding and dismantling health disparities among sexual minorities (i.e., gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals). This wide range of individuals suffer from a variety of significant health disparities, including higher rates of substance use disorders, tobacco use, mental health symptoms, trauma symptoms, lifetime sexual victimization, and some forms of cancer. Sexual minorities also report barriers to health care that result in lower health care utilization.
To this end, the bulk of her research is focused on understanding why sexual minorities experience higher rates of adverse health outcomes, elevated rates of health risk behaviors associated with those outcomes (e.g., heavy alcohol use, cigarette smoking), and a higher prevalence of other stressful and traumatic life experiences (e.g., sexual assault, discrimination and microaggressions) compared to heterosexual individuals.
Her current scholarly activities in these areas include a number of ongoing funded projects that have the shared goal of understanding the nature of unique health disparities and risky health behaviors among sexual minorities.
NGC 701 State of Nursing Science
Parrott, D. J., Bresin, K., Hequembourg, A., Velia, B., Swartout, K. M., Stappenbeck, C. A., Masyn, K. E., & Grom, J. L. (2023). Dyadic effects of minority stress and problematic alcohol use on sexual intimate partner violence in same sex couples. Aggressive Behavior, 49(3), 198-208. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22072
Blayney, J. A., Jaffe, A. E., Hequembourg, A. L., & Parrott, D. J. (2023). Sexual victimization among sexual and gender minoritized groups: Recent research and future directions. Current Psychiatry Reports, 25, 183-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-023-01420-0
Parrott, D. J., Bresin, K., Hequembourg, A., Velia, B., Swartout, K., Stappenbeck, C., Masyn, K., & Grom, J. (2023). Dyadic effects of minority stress and problematic alcohol use on sexual intimate partner violence in same sex couples. Aggressive Behavior, 49(3), 198-208. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22072
Smith, A., Bostwick, W. Burke, L., Hequembourg, A., Santuzzi, A., & Hughes, T. (2022). How deep is the cut? The influence of daily microaggressions on bisexual women’s health. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/sgd0000556
Doerzbacher, M., Sperlich, M., Hequembourg, A., & Chang, Y.-P. (2022). Scoping review of barriers and facilitators of breastfeeding in women on opioid maintenance therapy. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 51(1), 29-40. doi:10.1016/j.jogn.2021.09.004
Hequembourg, A., Livingston, J., & Wang, W. (2020). Prospective associations among relationship abuse, sexual harassment and bullying in a community sample of sexual minority and exclusively heterosexual youth. Journal of Adolescence, 83, 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.06.010
Hequembourg, A., Blayney, J., Livingston, J. A., Bostwick, W., & Auerbach, S. (2019). A mixed methods investigation of victimization and coping among sexual minority compared to heterosexual women. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-20. doi:10.1080/19419899.2019.1678193.
Hequembourg, A., Blayney, J., Bostwick, W., & Van Ryzin, M. (2019). Concurrent daily alcohol and tobacco use among sexual minority and heterosexual women. Substance Use & Abuse, 1-13. doi:10.1080/10826084.2019.1656252
Bostwick, W., Berger, B., & Hequembourg, A. (2019). A mixed-method inquiry of bisexual identity centrality among racially and ethnically diverse women. Journal of Bisexuality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2019.1617545
Hequembourg, A., & Panagakis, C. (2019). Maximizing respondent-driven sampling field procedures in the recruitment of sexual minorities for health research. SAGE Open Medicine, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312119829983
Blayney, J. A., Hequembourg, A. L., & Livingston, J. A. (2018). Rape acknowledgement and sexual minority women’s mental health and drinking behaviors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518781800
Livingston, J. A., Hequembourg, A., & Testa, M. (2018). Sexual victimization. In R. G. R. Levesque (Ed.) Encyclopedia of adolescence (2nd ed., pp. 2692-2699).
Parks, K. A., Levonyan-Radloff, K., Pryzbyla, S., & Hequembourg, A. (2017). University student perceptions about the motives for and consequences of non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). Journal of American College Health, 65(7), 457-465.
Hequembourg, A., Parks, K., Collins, R. L., Hughes, T. (2015). Sexual assault risks among gay and bisexual men. Journal of Sex Research, 52(3), 282-295. doi:10.1080/00224499.2013.85683.
Parks, Kathleen A., Levonyan-Radloff, K., Dearing, R., Hequembourg, A., & Testa, M. (2015). Development and validation of a video measure for assessing women’s risk perception for alcohol-related sexual assault. Psychology of Violence, 6(4). 573-585.
Parks, K. A., Levonyan-Radloff, K., Pryzbyla, S., Hequembourg, A. (2015). College student opinions about the use of non-medical prescription drugs. Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 146: e62-e63.
Bostwick, W., & Hequembourg, A. (2014). “Just a little hint”: Bisexual-specific microaggressions and their connection to epistemic injustice. Culture, Health, and Sexuality, 16(5), 488-503. doi:10.1080/13691058.2014.889754.
Dearing, R. L., & Hequembourg, A. L. (2014). Culturally (in)competent? Dismantling health care barriers for sexual minority women. Social Work in Health Care, 53(8), 739-761. doi:10.1080/00981389.2014.944250.
Bostwick, W., & Hequembourg, A. (2013). Minding the noise: Conducting health research among bisexual populations and beyond. Journal of Homosexuality, 60, 1-7.
Hequembourg, A., & Dearing, R. (2013). Exploring shame, guilt, and problematic alcohol use among sexual minority men and women. Journal of Homosexuality, 60, 1-24.
Hequembourg, A., Livingston, J., & Parks, K. (2013). Sexual victimization and associated risks among lesbian and bisexual women. Violence Against Women, 19(5), 634-657.
Livingston, J., Bay-Cheng, L., Hequembourg, A., Testa, M., & Downs, J. (2013). Mixed drinks and mixed messages: Adolescent girls’ perspectives on alcohol and sexuality. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 37(1), 38-50.
Parks, K. A., Levonyan-Radloff, K., Hequembourg, A., Dearing, R. L., & Testa, M. (2013). Validation of video vignettes for assessing alcohol-related sexual assault risk perception. The Addictions Newsletter (Fall/Winter), 17-19.
Term: 2021-2026
Role: Principle Investigator (with PI Jennifer Livingston; Co-I Craig Colder)
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Award Amount: $2,442,509
Abstract: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or questioning, and those youth with other sexual minority identities (LGBQ+) report riskier alcohol use patterns than their heterosexual peers. This raises concerns that — like patterns found in the general population — early, risky alcohol use may strongly predict later alcohol problems and related deleterious health consequences (e.g., other substance abuse, victimization, poor physical and mental health) that contribute to health disparities among sexual minority adults. The harmful effects of peer victimization (PV; i.e. bullying and sexual harassment) on adolescent psychosocial functioning may be one pathway through which LGBQ+ youth become involved in high-risk alcohol use. In adolescence, heterosexist social norms are strongly enforced through bullying and homophobic sexual harassment. Alarmingly high numbers of LGBQ+ youth experience homophobic peer aggression. Such experiences can lead to internalized heterosexism and sexual minority stress. Sexual minority stress has been strongly associated with increased alcohol use across the lifespan in sexual minority populations. Cross-sectional studies have shown that PV is positively associated with alcohol and other substance use among LGBQ+ adolescents. However, the mechanisms through which PV contributes to negative outcomes and the protective factors that ameliorate those outcomes among LGBTQ+ youth are not well understood. Advances in understanding the effects of PV on LGBQ+ adolescents have been hampered by a dearth of longitudinal and mixed methods studies that include these youth in their samples. Using a mixed methods design, the proposed study will investigate the acute daily and longitudinal effects of PV on LGBQ+ adolescent risky alcohol use, as well as identify potential buffers and risk factors for these outcomes. Data from 500 adolescents (ages 15-17 years, 50% female gender identity, diverse racial composition) will be collected using four longitudinal surveys (baseline, 6-, 12, and 18-month follow-ups), two bursts of daily reports (4-weeks each), and qualitative interviews. Informed by sexual minority stress and psychological mediation theories, the proposed study aims to: (1) identify the psychosocial mechanisms linking PV with alcohol and other substance use among LGBQ+ youth; (2) understand the daily associations between PV and alcohol and substance use; and (3) examine the contexts in which LGBQ+ youth experience PV and gain insight into the psychosocial factors related to PV and substance use. The proposed study utilizes a novel integrative conceptual model that incorporates extant knowledge from research on PV and substance use conducted with heterosexual youth along with factors identified in the LGBQ+ literature, including sexual minority stress and the psychological mediation framework, to clarify the processes implicated in substance use by LGBQ+ youth. Results from this study are critically needed to understand the pathways, processes and contexts through which LGBQ+ adolescents become involved in high-risk alcohol use to inform the development of primary prevention programs that improve and preserve the health of LGBQ+ youth.
Term: 2018-2023
Role: Co-Investigator (PI Dominic Parrott, Co-Is Masyn, Swartout)
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Award Amount: $2,507,736
Term: 2020-2022
Role: Co-Investigator (PI Dominic Parrott, Co-Is Masyn, Swartout, Stappenbeck)
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Award Amount: $303,806
Term: 2018-2020
Role: Multi-Principal Investigator (with PIs Rychtarik and McGillicudy)
Funding Source: Howard T. Blane Director’s Award for the Development of Research in Addictions
Award Amount: $24,715
Term: 2018–2019
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Beedle [Leonard])
Funding Source: Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (Prime: SAMHSA)
Award Amount: $274,999
Term: 2015-2019
Role: Principal Investigator (Co-Investigators: Livingston and Collins)
Funding Source: National Institute of Justice
Award Amount: $581,916
Term: 2015-2018
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Bostwick)
Funding Source: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Award Amount: $371, 583
Term: 2006-2011
Role: Principal Investigator (Mentors: R. Lorraine Collins, Kathleen Parks, Michael Frone)
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Award Amount: $522,280