Adolescent same-sex romantic attractions and relationships: implications for substance use and abuse.
OBJECTIVE
Nationally representative data were used to examine associations of romantic attractions and relationships with substance use and abuse.


METHODS
Data from the Add Health Study were examined. Youths reporting same-sex and both-sex romantic attractions and relationships were compared with those reporting opposite-sex attractions. Survey regression and logistic regression were used to control for sample design effects.


RESULTS
In the case of certain outcomes, romantic attraction affected males differently than females. Youths with both-sex attractions were at a somewhat higher risk for substance use and abuse than were heterosexual youths; females with same-sex attractions were also at higher risk for some outcomes. Sexual-minority youths varied little from heterosexual youths in regard to trajectories of substance use and abuse.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between youths with only same-sex attractions and those with both-sex attractions. These findings also call into question previous findings indicating that sexual-minority youths are automatically "at risk."
Russell
Stephen T
ST
Department of Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis 95616-8523, USA. strussell@ucdavis.edu
Driscoll
Anne K
AK
Truong
Nhan
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology