 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Stephen T. Russell, PhD, 4-H Center for Youth Development, University of California, Davis, Department of Human and Community Development, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8523, 530-752-7069, strussell@ucdavis.edu
This paper presents new findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (the Add Health Study) that documents the experiences of school connections and feelings of school safety and support among sexual minority youth. The Add Health Study includes over 20,000 respondents who were 7th-12th graders in the U.S. in 1995. They were interviewed again one year later, and most recently after an additional 5 years (in 2001). In the first survey, respondents were asked two questions about romantic attractions: whether they had ever had a romantic attraction to a male, and the same question in reference to romantic attraction to a female. Seven percent of adolescents in the study reported either both-sex or exclusively same-sex romantic attractions. Regional, urban / rural, economic, and racial/ethnic group differences in the school safety experiences of sexual minority youth are first examined. Results indicate that across multiple settings, sexual minority youth feel significantly less safe at school compared to their peers. Second, experiences of violence at home, in the neighborhood, and at school are examined. Compared to neighborhoods and the home environment, sexual minority youth are at greatest risk for experiencing victimization and violence at school.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Gay
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.