The Role of Family Interactions in HIV Risk for Gay and Bisexual Male Youth: A Pilot Study

Despite ongoing prevention efforts, young gay and bisexual males continue to engage in sexual behaviors that place them at disproportionately high risk for HIV infection. Parental monitoring and parent-child communication have been found to be associated with low-risk sexual behavior among heterosexual youth, but the role of family interactions for gay and bisexual male youth remains largely unexplored. To help address this gap, an exploratory study of recorded and coded interactions among 35 gay and bisexual youth and their parents was done to begin to identify which types of family interactions were associated with youth high-risk sexual behavior. Parent-son communication that was mutual and low in conflict was found to be most prevalent among youth with the fewest reported high-risk sexual behaviors. These preliminary findings, along with a case example, demonstrate how social workers can coach families to engage in productive and potentially influential interactions that reduce HIV-related sexual behaviors among young gay and bisexual males

The Impact of Bullying Victimization and Sexual Orientation on the Severity of Suicidal Behavior

Background: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth face a disproportionate risk of suicidal ideation and attempt compared to their heterosexual counterparts. The Minority Stress Theory and Interpersonal Theory of Suicide posit that chronic stress, which can occur as a result of bullying victimization, can lead to loneliness, self-hate, and suicidal ideation. The escalation from ideation to attempt can occur quickly, and most youth who survive suicide attempts pursue subsequent, riskier attempts. It is crucial to intervene when behaviors are less severe. The primary aim of this study was to compare the magnitudes of association between independent variables (bullying and sexual orientation subtypes) and three progressively worsening suicidal behaviors: suicidal ideation, attempt, and attempt resulting in a medical injury. A secondary aim was to examine potential interactions between (bullying x sexual orientation) and between (bullying x sexual orientation x gender). Method: A secondary analysis of the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N=14,765) was performed. Outcome variables were suicidal ideation, attempt, and attempt resulting in a medical injury. Main independent variables included cyberbullying, in-school bullying, sexual orientation and gender. Race/ethnicity, age, screen time, and sadness were controlled. Outcomes were evaluated through chi-square tests and binomial logistic regressions. Interactions were tested for significance. A cumulative ordinal logistic regression determined which characteristics were associated with progressively worse forms of suicidal behavior. Results: Bivariate results indicated that bisexual youth experienced suicidal ideation and attempts more often than lesbian, gay, heterosexual, and youth who were unsure of their orientation. However, when an attempt was made, lesbian and gay youth were more likely to sustain a medical injury. With bullying and other covariates controlled, LGB youth were approximately three times as likely to ideate and twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth. The severity of suicidal behavior was greatest when adolescents were bullied both in school and online. Sexual orientation significantly modified the effect of bullying on suicidal ideation when 1) the bullying occurred at school and the victim identified as bisexual, and 2) when the bullying occurred via cyberspace and the victim identified as lesbian/gay. Gender did not interact with bullying or sexual orientation. Conclusion: Additional assessment is required to uncover the tipping points that escalate decisions from ideation to attempt, and from less injurious to more lethal forms of attempt. Lesbian and gay youth may face a higher risk of engaging in lethal forms of suicide attempt compared to other sexual minority subtypes. Bullying victimization formats may affect sexual minority subtypes differently, underscoring the need to examine them as distinct groups. Many LGB high school youth were bullied both in school and online, emphasizing the need to create cultures of acceptance at school

Fast Facts: The Unique Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth

Data from 1990 through 2002 indicates that approximately 5% of American adolescents (ages 13-18) identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ).1 Sexual orientation is often misinterpreted as synonymous with sexual behavior and has thus allowed educators, health care providers, and even parents to leave LGBTQ youth misinformed and unaware of important sexual and reproductive health issues. While some gains have been made regarding knowledge and attitudes about LGBTQ youth, there remain many disparities in access to both education and services that adversely affect the health and well-being of these youth

Creating an Inclusive School Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students

In a study completed in 2009, only 88 out of 400 school districts surveyed showed support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students (Rienzo, Button, Sheu, & Li, 2006). Some of this may be due to a lack of support by society, family, and friends, or a lack of advocacy in school for support services for the LGBT population. There are many ways in which a school can contribute to supporting LGBT youth. These ways include, but are not limited to, education about sexual orientation for students, faculty, parents, school board members, and the community, support groups for LGBT students, gay-straight student alliances, counseling services for LGBT youth, policies that enforce strict anti-LGBT language and behavior, and policies that prohibit discrimination against LGBT in hiring and promotion of faculty (Rienzo et al., 2006). Support in the schools for all students, especially sexual minority youth, is imperative. Without it, students’ personal, social, and academic lives may suffer

Understanding Forced Sex During Adolescence: An Exploratory Study of Risk and Protective Factors

The overall purpose of this study was to explore predictors of forced sex among a sample of middle school students. Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were distributed to middle school youth in southeast Florida. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID), and logistic regression. In the final CHAID model, the segment most at risk was comprised of youth who had been harassed for being gay, lesbian, or bisexual and youth who had experienced dating violence. Past exposure with violence yielded the highest association with forced sex. Moreover, having multiple sexual partners, use of prescription drugs, and experiencing harassment for being gay, lesbian, or bisexual are predictors of forced sex. This study has implications for school-based prevention of forced sex through the identification of risk and protective factors that can be targeted with evidence-based interventions

J Pediatr

Objectives:To examine fluidity in sexual orientation identity and behavior among cisgender youth.Study Design:Data were analyzed from five survey waves of the longitudinal US Growing Up with Media Study (2010\u20132019). Participants were 989 cisgender youth, aged 13\u201320 years at baseline, who completed online surveys assessing sexual orientation identity and behavior (gender of sexual partners). Amount of change (mobility) and patterns of change across waves were assessed for identity and behavior.Results:Consistently heterosexual was the most common sexual orientation identity (89%-97% for boys; 80%-90% for girls), followed by gay (3%) for boys, and bisexual (8%) for girls. Sexual minority identities increased (3% to 11% for boys, 10% to 20% for girls) over time; same-gender sexual behavior also increased. Girls had more identity mobility than boys; no gender difference was found for behavior mobility. Movement from heterosexual to a sexual minority identity occurred for 9% of girls and 6% of boys; movement from different-gender sexual behavior to same-gender sexual behavior occurred for 2% of girls and boys.Conclusions:Findings highlight the need to assess multiple dimensions and patterns of change of youth sexual orientation in research and clinical care. Recognizing and creating space for conversations about changes in sexual identity and behavior over time will help providers accurately and effectively address the health needs of all patients.K01 DA054357/DA/NIDA NIH HHSUnited States/R01 CE001543/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States/R01 HD083072/HD/NICHD NIH HHSUnited States/U49 CE000206/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States

Suicide risk and resiliency among sexual minority youth: Implications for professional counselors

While adolescents in general are at risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior, research has shown that sexual minority youth are especially vulnerable. This elevated suicide risk is due in part to the presence of various risk factors, such as social discrimination, victimization, and increased rates of psychological and emotional distress. However, despite this heightened risk for suicidal ideation and self-harm, there is a growing body of literature regarding wellness and strengths among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and research has shown that these client strengths are correlated with successful counseling outcomes. Professional counselors are encouraged to be aware of both risk and wellness factors when working with sexual minority youth. Awareness of these factors can be used to prevent and reduce serious psychopathology, and also to promote resiliency and growth in the lives of LGBT youth

An ethnographic analysis of adolescent sexual minority website usage: exploring notions of information seeking and sexual identity development

This dissertation explores the website usage of adolescent sexual minorities, examining notions of information seeking and sexual identity development. Sexual information seeking is an important element within human information behavior and is uniquely problematic for young sexual minorities. Utilizing a contemporary gay teen website, this five-year virtual ethnography of GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) youth demonstrates an understanding of the function of the Internet as an invaluable tool for exploring social and psychological needs while providing anonymity and keeping information-seeking behavior relatively unknown. The use of Chatman\u27s (1996) Information Impoverished Theory and Cass\u27s (1979) Model of Gay and Lesbian Identity Formation aids the analysis of this particular culture\u27s information- seeking behavior and sexual orientation identity formation. As a result, a number of salient themes are revealed, including exploration of and experimentation with sexuality; struggles with identity; ascertaining a social network; the coming out process; sexual identity confusion; and negative effects associated with homosexuality, such as low self-esteem, suicide, and conflict surrounding religious ideology. In addition, the findings suggest that sexual prejudice is a pervasive issue for this community and that the use of a gay teen chat forum is an effective means of ethnographic data collection. This dissertation concludes by identifying limitations and offering insights for further inquiry into the communication behavior of adolescent sexual minorities

Thrown Away for Being Gay: The Abandonment of LGBT Youth and Their Lack of Legal Recourse

One of the most pervasive risks LGBT youth face today is the threat of being thrown out of their homes because of their sexual orientation. According to a Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey, one in four teens that identify as lesbian or gay are homeless. Of the estimated 575,000 to 2.8 million youth that are homeless each year, between 20 percent and 40 percent identify as LGBT. While youth homelessness is most often attributed to neglect, family tragedy, poverty, and addiction, most LGBT youth populations attribute their homelessness directly to their sexual orientation. This suggests that these parents and families would rather have no child than a gay child. This abandonment, in addition to the general rejection and victimization experienced generally by LGBT persons in the United States, is compounded by the fact that LGBT homeless youth are more at risk for physical and sexual abuse, survival sex, mental health issues, and substance abuse. The legislative, organizational, and agency-based responses to LGBT youth homelessness have improved the lives of thousands of minors over the past thirty years, but current remedies are not meeting the needs of this unique and vulnerable population. While the law presumes that parents will try to preserve what it is in the best interests of their children, this presumption is not enough to protect LGBT children. Because all minors are subject to extensive legal disabilities, mistreated children are often unable to get the recourse they need to mitigate their abandonment. Comprehensive institutional change will be needed to tackle this increasing problem, but allowing abandoned LGBT minors to petition the court for partial emancipation and financial support from their parents through already existing state and welfare structures is the right place to start

General Strain Theory for LGBQ and SSB Youth: The Importance of Intersectionality in the Future of Feminist Criminology

This study applies an intersectional general strain theory (GST) framework to understand the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning (LGBQ) youth, and youth involved in same-sex sexual behavior (SSB). Using a statewide probability sample of LGBQ and SSB youth (N = 539) in grades 9 to 12, results show that understanding LGBQ and SSB youths’ experiences with victimization (feeling unsafe, threatened/injured, property stolen) and negative outcomes (poor academic performance, substance use, suicidality) must be underscored with the significance of and intersections between gender, sexual identity, and sexual behavior. Implications for the importance of intersectionality in GST and the future of feminist criminology are offered.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline