(PS6-36) Opioid Overdose Vulnerability Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: A Syndemics Approach

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience disproportionately high rates of opioid use, yet research on opioid outcomes, including overdose, among SGM individuals is sparse. Addressing this gap in the literature is urgently needed to better understand factors that shape SGM overdose vulnerability to reduce overdose risk and death among this population. In the present study, we employed a Latent Profile Analysis to identify patterns of vulnerability to overdose among SGM people who use opioids by examining the interplay of co-occurring individual, interpersonal, community, and structural factors known to contribute to SGM health inequities and opioid overdose risk more broadly. We recruited a sample of SGM individuals who reported at least one incident of illicit opioid use in the past 12 months (n=400) from Prolific-Academic. Participants completed measures assessing opioid use, knowledge of and behaviors related to opioid overdose risk reduction, proximal minority stress (e.g. internalized heterosexism), distal minority stress (e.g. experiences of discrimination), exposure to structural stigma, and mental and behavioral health (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality). Findings will examine the ways in which multiple sources of stress and stigma among this population synergistically influence cognitive and behavioral outcomes associated with vulnerability to opioid overdose. The goal of this study is to better elucidate SGM-specific factors that shape overdose vulnerability among SGM people who use opioids to inform the future development and implementation of targeted, structurally competent psychosocial, behavioral, and systems-level or policy interventions. Implications for psychological research and clinical practice will be emphasized.