title: Differences in substance use between sexual orientations in a multi-country sample: findings from the Global Drug Survey 2015.
abstract: This study examines substance use disparities among homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual adolescents and young adults from nine countries.
  
  
  
  Data from 58 963 respondents (aged 16 and 35 years) to the 2015 'Global Drug Survey' were utilized. Rates of lifetime, last-year, last-month use and age of onset of 13 different substances were compared across sexual identity subgroups.
  
  
  
  Adolescents and young adults with a sexual minority identity generally reported higher rates of substance use and an earlier age of onset compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Differences in substance use were larger among female groups than male groups, and rates of substance use were generally higher among bisexuals than homosexuals of both genders.
  
  
  
  Higher rates of substance use in bisexuals compared with homosexuals among both genders and larger differences between female groups highlight the importance of differentiating between sexual minority identities in substance use research, and in designing substance misuse interventions for people with a sexual minority identity.
authors: School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Demant
authors: School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Leanne
authors: L
authors: Hides
authors: School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: David J
authors: DJ
authors: Kavanagh
authors: School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Katherine M
authors: KM
authors: White
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
authors: Adam R
authors: AR
authors: Winstock
authors: Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.|ARC Centre for Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Jason
authors: J
authors: Ferris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: LGBT; adolescents; drugs; sexual minority; sexual orientation, substances; young adults