TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health and substance use by sexual minority status in high school students who experienced sexual violence
AU - Chakraborty, Payal
AU - Alalwan, Mahmood
AU - Johnson, Renee M.
AU - Li, Li
AU - Lancaster, Kathryn E.
AU - Zhu, Motao
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Purpose: To examine the association between sexual minority status and the prevalence of emotional distress and substance use among a nationally-representative sample of youth who reported sexual violence victimization. Methods: Data were from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial school-based survey. We restricted the sample to youth who reported any past-year sexual violence victimization. We estimated prevalence ratios using modified Poisson regression with robust error variance to examine associations of sexual minority status with depressive symptomology, suicidality, and substance use. Results: Among the 1364 (9.7%) students who experienced sexual violence, 78% were girls. Relative to heterosexual youth, sexual minority youth had higher prevalence estimates for the emotional distress outcomes and marijuana use. Sexual minority status was associated with depressive symptomology (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.22–1.44), suicidal ideation (aPR: 1.91, 1.66–2.20), medically treated suicide attempt (aPR: 2.74, 1.53–4.93), and past 30-day marijuana use (aPR: 1.29, 1.06–1.57). Conclusions: Among youth who experience sexual violence, sexual minorities may experience more emotional distress and substance use outcomes than heterosexuals. Rape crisis programs and other tertiary interventions should attend to the unique needs of sexual minorities who have been sexually victimized.
AB - Purpose: To examine the association between sexual minority status and the prevalence of emotional distress and substance use among a nationally-representative sample of youth who reported sexual violence victimization. Methods: Data were from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a biennial school-based survey. We restricted the sample to youth who reported any past-year sexual violence victimization. We estimated prevalence ratios using modified Poisson regression with robust error variance to examine associations of sexual minority status with depressive symptomology, suicidality, and substance use. Results: Among the 1364 (9.7%) students who experienced sexual violence, 78% were girls. Relative to heterosexual youth, sexual minority youth had higher prevalence estimates for the emotional distress outcomes and marijuana use. Sexual minority status was associated with depressive symptomology (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.22–1.44), suicidal ideation (aPR: 1.91, 1.66–2.20), medically treated suicide attempt (aPR: 2.74, 1.53–4.93), and past 30-day marijuana use (aPR: 1.29, 1.06–1.57). Conclusions: Among youth who experience sexual violence, sexual minorities may experience more emotional distress and substance use outcomes than heterosexuals. Rape crisis programs and other tertiary interventions should attend to the unique needs of sexual minorities who have been sexually victimized.
KW - Emotional distress
KW - Mental health
KW - Sexual minority youth
KW - Substance use
KW - Youth Risk Behavior Survey
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U2 - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.09.002
DO - 10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.09.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 34571196
AN - SCOPUS:85117689620
SN - 1047-2797
VL - 64
SP - 127
EP - 131
JO - Annals of epidemiology
JF - Annals of epidemiology
ER -