Recorded presentation

Caitlin C. Ryan, MSW, Jorge Sanchez, Teresa Betancourt, and Rafael M. Diaz, PhD. Cesar E. Chavez Institute, San Francisco State University, 3004 - 16th Street, Suite 301, San Francisco, CA 94103, 415-522-5558, caitlin@sfsu.edu

This presentation will report on substance use and related behaviors from the qualitative phase of the Family Acceptance Project, the first major study of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents (ages 13-18) and their families. The study includes white and Latino LGB youth and transgender youth who identify as LGB from a wide range of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds living in urban, suburban and rural communities throughout California, including youth in foster care and residential programs. The presentation will report findings from individual in-depth interviews with adolescents and family members from more than 50 family units, describing the developmental, social and cultural context in which adolescents use substances to cope, negotiate relationships with peers and families, and manage multicultural identities, including gang involvement. Youth from rejecting families are more likely to use ATOD, including hard drugs, than those from families that accept their sexual and gender identities. About one-third of the sample (36%) were active substance users, with lesbians and bisexual female adolescents being at least as likely to use drugs as gay males. Only about 1 in 10 active substance users felt they needed help to deal with their ATOD use. About half of active users report ATOD use in conjunction with sexual activity.

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