Challenges Faced by Homeless Sexual Minorities: Comparison of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Homeless Adolescents With Their Heterosexual Counterparts

Cochran, Bryan N.; Stewart, Angela; Ginzler, Joshua A.; Cauce, Ana Mari

doi:10.2105/ajph.92.5.773

Cited by 437 publications

(330 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Findings suggest that GLB youth have greater rates of depression, more suicide attempts (Fergusson et al, 1999), more risk taking behavior (Garofalo et al, 1998) (Cochran et al, 2002;Noell and Ochs, 2001;Whitbeck et al, 2004). Gender differences have also been noted by some researchers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Emerging findings also indicate that GLB homeless youth experience greater risks in terms of victimization, substance use and abuse, rates of psychopathology, depression and suicidal ideation (Cochran et al, 2002;Noell and Ochs, 2001;Whitbeck et al, 2004). Gender differences have also been noted by some researchers.…”

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confidence: 63%

“…One was that of a small sample size; a larger sample size could have generated more comparable group sizes and greater power to detect differences. However, a small sample size is a frequently reported limitation in studies conducted on this population (Cochran et al, 2002;Garofalo et al, 1998). Another limitation of this study is the fact that the original study was designed to examine treatment modalities for substance abusing homeless adolescents and not for comparison among the sample on sexual orientation.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However in both the above mentioned studies, a distinction was not made between GLB and heterosexual youth. Considering that report of parental alcohol use and physical abuse are commonly associated with conflict due to their sexual orientation (Cochran et al, 2002) it was deemed necessary in this study to examine whether differences along these factors would contribute to differences in HIV risks. …”

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confidence: 99%

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Comparison of HIV Risks among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Heterosexual Homeless Youth

Gangamma

Slesnick

Toviessi

et al. 2007

J Youth Adolescence

119

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Youth who are homeless and gay, lesbian or bisexual (GLB) are one of the most disenfranchised and marginalized groups in our society. The purpose of this study is to examine and compare HIV in GLB homeless youth with their heterosexual counterparts. Participants for this study included 268 youth involved in treatment outcome studies with substance abusing homeless youth. Results suggest that GLB youth have greater HIV risks and that these risks are greater among bisexual females. In examining the predictors of sexual health risks, survival sex emerged as the most significant. Survival sex was high among females regardless of their sexual orientation and also among gay males. Implications of these findings suggest that a greater emphasis needs to be paid to preventive interventions among this population. KeywordsYouth; Gay; HIV; Homeless One particularly disturbing consequence of being homeless is engaging in behaviors that put oneself at risk for HIV infection. Overall, the homeless population has a disproportionately higher risk of HIV transmission (Ebner and Laviage, 2003) and substance use (Kipke et al., 1997). Substance abuse has been associated as a risk factor for HIV, both in terms of drug and sexual related risk (Rotheram-Borus et al., 2003). In a recent study designed to explore the differences in sexual health risks and protective factors Rew et al. (2005) found that gay and lesbian homeless youth reported being tested and treated for HIV more than the bisexual or heterosexual youth. This was partially supported by a later study (Solorio et al., 2006) that found that gay and bisexual males were more likely to report being tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when compared to heterosexual males and lesbian and bisexual females. While this could imply that gay and lesbian homeless youth are at a greater risk for STIs, there is currently little empirical evidence to show whether differences in HIV risks among heterosexual and gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) youth exist. Such evidence would be helpful in better understanding the needs of these youth and also to better inform intervention strategies. Thus, the purpose of this study was to bridge this gap by comparing the HIV risks among heterosexual and GLB youth in a population of homeless youth.Historically, studies comparing GLB and heterosexual non-homeless youth have been primarily conducted with school-based and community-based samples (Bontempo and D'Augelli, 2002;Faulkner and Cranston, 1998;Lock and Steiner, 1999). Findings suggest that GLB youth have greater rates of depression, more suicide attempts (Fergusson et al., 1999), more risk taking behavior (Garofalo et al., 1998) (Cochran et al., 2002;Noell and Ochs, 2001;Whitbeck et al., 2004). Gender differences have also been noted by some researchers. For instance, Whitbeck and colleagues (2004) in a longitudinal study of homeless and runaway adolescents found that gay males were more likely to have symptoms of internalization when compared to heterosexual males. Lesbian adole...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

mentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Comparison of HIV Risks among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Heterosexual Homeless Youth

Gangamma

Slesnick

Toviessi

et al. 2007

J Youth Adolescence

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Same-sex sexual orientation has been shown to have important behavioral and psychological consequences for development among housed adolescents (e.g., those living at home with adult caretakers; Boxer, Cohler, Herdt, & Irvin, 1993;Gonsiorek, 1988;Remafedi, 1987;Savin-Williams & Rodriguez, 1993), and there is growing evidence that this is also the case for homeless and runaway gay and lesbian adolescents (Cochran, Stewart, Ginzler, & Cauce, 2002). However, there have been no studies to date that investigate differences in prevalence and correlates of mental disorder between heterosexual and gay and lesbian homeless adolescents.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental disorder, subsistence strategies, and victimization among gay, lesbian, and bisexual homeless and runaway adolescents

Whitbeck¹,

Chen

Hoyt

et al. 2004

Journal of Sex Research

263

235

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Community-Level Determinants of Tobacco Use Disparities in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth

Hatzenbuehler¹,

Wieringa²,

Keyes³

2011

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med

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Objective:To determine whether characteristics of the social environment surrounding lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth contribute to their rates of tobacco use after controlling for established community-level risk factors.Design: Cross-sectional.Setting: Population-based study of youth.Participants: A total of 31 852 eleventh-grade students (1413 LGB individuals [4.44%]) in Oregon completed the Oregon Healthy Teens survey in 2006-2008. Main Exposures:We created a composite index of the social environment in 34 Oregon counties. This measure included the proportion of same-sex couples, the presence of gay-straight alliances in schools, and school policies (nondiscrimination and antibullying) that specifically protected LGB students.Main Outcome Measures: Any tobacco use in the past 30 days.Results: A more supportive social environment for LGB youth was significantly associated with reduced tobacco use (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.94). This effect remained robust after controlling for sociodemographic variables and multiple communitylevel risk factors for tobacco use, including median countylevel income, exposure to cigarette advertisements, exposure to teacher and peer smoking in schools, and school smoking rules. Conclusion:This study documents an association between an objective measure of the social environment and sexual orientation-related disparities in tobacco use. These results highlight the need for structural-level interventions that reduce smoking behaviors in LGB youth.

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Challenges Faced by Homeless Sexual Minorities: Comparison of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Homeless Adolescents With Their Heterosexual Counterparts

Abstract: Homeless youths who identify themselves as members of sexual minority groups are at increased risk for negative outcomes. Recommendations for treatment programs and implications for public health are discussed.

Cited by 437 publications

References 35 publications

Comparison of HIV Risks among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Heterosexual Homeless Youth

Comparison of HIV Risks among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Heterosexual Homeless Youth

Mental disorder, subsistence strategies, and victimization among gay, lesbian, and bisexual homeless and runaway adolescents

Community-Level Determinants of Tobacco Use Disparities in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth

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