title: Developmental trajectories of substance use among sexual minority girls: associations with sexual victimization and sexual health risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine mechanisms underlying the development of sexual health risk behaviors in sexual minority girls (SMGs) and its association with sexual victimization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were drawn from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods cohorts, aged 15 and 18 years (N = 391; 54 SMGs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sexual minority girls reported more sexual victimization and steeper positive trajectories of substance misuse over time than heterosexual girls. Growth in alcohol use during adolescence mediated the link between SMG status and past year number of partners, whereas growth in marijuana use mediated the link between SMG status and self-reported sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Adding unwanted sexual experiences to the models resulted in a reduction of significance in the direct or indirect effects from SMG status on the sexual health outcomes. Unwanted sexual experiences emerged as a robust predictor directly and indirectly related to past-year number of partners via growth in alcohol use. Unwanted sexual experiences also directly predicted STD history.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased risk of SMGs for alcohol and marijuana during adolescence, higher rates of sexual partners, and STD diagnosis may also be linked to their significant risk for sexual victimization. Findings highlight the importance of preventive interventions targeting victimization of SMGs.
authors.affiliation: Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. Electronic address: oshria@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oshri
authors.affiliation: Mount Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
authors.forename: Elizabeth D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Handley
authors.affiliation: Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Tara E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wortel
authors.affiliation: Mount Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
authors.forename: Mandi L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Burnette
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Health risk behavior; Human immunodeficiency virus risk; Sexual minority girls; Sexual victimization