R J Watson
Biographic Data
| ID | 36976 |
|---|---|
| NAME | R J Watson |
| GIVEN NAMES | R J |
| FAMILY NAME | Watson |
| SIGNATURE | WATSON R J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Connecticut |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7824-7714 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 51 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 146 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
An intersectional approach for the effects of school bullying & cyberbullying on beliefs about the future among Latine LGBTQ + youth in the United States
Latine lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth in the United States (U.S.) experience compounded forms of oppression that increase vulnerability to both school‐based and cyberbullying. Guided by the Minority Stress Theory (MST) and the Temporal Intersectional Minority Stress Model (TIMSM), this study examined how intersectional bullying relates to future outlook among Latine LGBTQ+ youth, and whether internalized stigma, dep…
Profiles of parental response, intersectional microaggressions, and mental health problems among sexual and gender minority youth of color
Sexual and gender minority youth of color (SGM YOC) face compounded mental health disparities due to oppression experienced at the intersection of racism, cissexism, and heterosexism. Parental responses to youth's sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are critical in shaping youth mental health outcomes, yet prior research has often simplified these responses into a unidimensional acceptance–rejection continuum. Using data from the 2022 L…
Intersectional Oppression-Based Stress, School Safety, and Substance Use Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents Who Are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between intersectional oppression-based stressors and substance use among sexual and gender minority (SGM; queer and transgender [QT]) adolescents who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) and examined the potential moderating role of school safety. METHOD: = 3,563) from a dataset of SGM adolescents in the United States ages 13-18 years old. RESULTS: Intersectional oppression-based…
Alcohol and Native Language
Intersectional microaggressions – daily slights toward individuals with multiple minoritized identities – pose significant stress for sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) Latine youth. Although research on these experiences has expanded, gaps remain regarding how they influence substance use and mental health across ethnic and linguistic lines. This study examined the relationship between intersectional microaggressions, psychological distress, an…
Sex Positivity, Resilience, Social Support, and PrEP and HIV Stigmas
Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) significantly reduces the risk of contracting HIV among all individuals. The success of PrEP has led to the development of targeted health campaigns for encouraging the uptake of PrEP among sexual and gender diverse communities, who account for some of the highest HIV transmission rates in the U.S. PrEP uptake among Black sexual and gender-diverse populations (BSGD) remains low, which is worrisome given…
Black and Latine sexual minoritised individuals’ experiences accessing HIV prevention services in US medical settings
Healthcare settings are contexts where Black and Latine sexual minoritised individuals experience stigma when accessing HIV services. Negative experiences have the potential to shape an individual’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours regarding future HIV prevention. To understand their experiences accessing HIV preventive care, this study used an abductive approach to explore (1) Black and Latine sexual minoritised individuals’ experiences with p…
Latent Profiles of Disordered Eating Behaviors Associated with Bullying and Mental Health Among Sexual and Gender Diverse Youth
OBJECTIVES: This study examined associations of social identity and experience variables with specific patterns of disordered eating behaviors among sexual and gender diverse youth, a population at elevated risk of disordered eating behaviors and eating disorders. METHODS: = 10,743), we determined profiles of engagement across three disordered eating behaviors: restriction, binge-eating, and purging through Latent Profile Analysis and examined th…
Alcohol Use Among Asian American Sexual and Gender Diverse Youth Enrolled in 9 th , 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th Grades in California
Background Asian American sexual and gender diverse youth experience bias-based stressors rooted in stereotypes and forms of oppression, which can contribute to coping behaviors like alcohol use. Few studies examine lifetime alcohol use with a focus on understanding heterogeneity within Asian American adolescents.Methods The analytic sample included Asian American youth in 9th through 12th grade (N = 86,799) who completed the 2017-2019 California…
The Relationship Between the Family Environment and Community Context on LGBTQ+ Youth’s Disordered Eating Behaviors
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth experience disparate rates of disordered eating behaviors (DEB; purging, restricting food intake, and binge eating) compared with cisgender and/or heterosexual youth. Yet we have limited data examining the mechanisms that contribute to DEB among LGBTQ+ youth. This study examined associations among family acceptance and rejection and community context (acceptance, support, involvement, …
Supporting Sexual and Gender Diverse Young People
I Felt Somewhat Cheated and Deceived When that Roadblock Came”
Substantial advances have been made in medical technologies to reduce HIV transmission in previous decades. However, disparities regarding HIV transmission continue to persist, with Black sexual minority men (BSMM) disproportionately impacted. These disparities are driven by several different economic and socio-cultural barriers, some of which include the ongoing mistrust or distrust of medicine and science among communities of color. Furthermore…
Aging Concerns Related to Sexuality and Gender
How coping motives moderate the association between minority stress and alcohol use among sexually minoritized adolescents
An investigation into disability status and mental health indicators among sexual and gender diverse youth
Emerging research on sexual and gender diverse youth (SGDY) with disabilities (e.g., developmental or learning disabilities, physical disabilities) has begun to document the social- and health-related disparities that this population faces due to holding multiple marginalized identities. However, not all SGDY know their disability status, and those who are not aware of their disability status represent a unique group who might differently experie…
Mental health treatment preferences of sexual minority youth and young adults
A growing body of research among sexual minority (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual) populations has highlighted unique mental health treatment needs and barriers to care. Despite the rapid proliferation of novel treatments across diverse delivery modalities to address these needs and barriers, few studies have assessed sexual minority people's preferences for mental health treatment. This study described sexual minority youth and young adults' mental…
Associations Between State-Level Structural Stigma and Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Mental Health
Substance Use, Parental and Teacher Support, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Latinx Sexual and Gender Minority Youth
Latinx sexual and gender minority youth (LSGMY) experience specific stressors due to intersectional systemic oppression that negatively impact their mental health. Additionally, many LSGMY report engaging in substance use to cope with daily stressors. Furthermore, research shows that parental and teacher support can serve as a buffer against substance use and negative mental health outcomes among these communities. However, there is little resear…
Perceptions of bias in HIV prevention services, happiness with social support, and anticipated PrEP stigma among Black and Latine/x sexual and gender diverse individuals
Although pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective preventive treatment for HIV, anticipated PrEP stigma can hinder uptake. Perceptions of bias in HIV prevention and evaluations (e.g., happiness) tied to social support among Black and Latine/x sexual and gender diverse (SGD) individuals could be important correlates of anticipated PrEP stigma. To further this line of inquiry, a national sample of 872 Black and Latine/x SGD individuals…
Willingness to Use Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Among PrEP Naïve Black and Hispanic Sexual Gender Minority Persons
Identity outness to family among gender diverse sexual minority youth
Gender diverse sexual minority youth (SMY) must manage disclosure decisions and the related implications of disclosure for two minoritized identities. However, little is known about the patterns of outness for gender diverse SMY or how these patterns are associated with their well-being. Using a sample of 4,200 gender diverse SMY ages 13-17 years old ( M age = 15.43), this paper used latent profile analysis to examine diverse patterns of outness …
Measurement invariance of the LGBT People of Color Microaggressions Scale among LGBTQ + youth
The LGBT People of Color Microaggressions Scale (LGBT-PCMS) is a widely used measure of intersectional microaggression experiences among sexual and gender minority people of color. Although it is widely used-and increasingly used in adolescent and young adult samples-it is unknown whether the LGBT-PCMS demonstrates similar measurement properties across subgroups of sexual and gender minority youth of color (SGMYOC). Among 4142 SGMYOC (ages 13-17)…
A Latent Profile Analysis of Religious Parents’ Responses to Their Sexual and Gender Diverse Child
Prior research indicates that religious parents can have negative, positive, or ambivalent responses to their child's sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Yet, to our knowledge no research has quantitatively examined patterns of sexual and gender diverse (SGD) youth's perceptions of their religious parents' responses to their SOGI. Without examining variations in these patterns, we are unable to better understand the experiences of SGD …
Amphetamine use and its associations with antiretroviral adherence and viral load among sexual minority men and transgender women living with HIV
Substance use has complex associations to HIV disease progression. The current study tested the associations between several substances and HIV viral load while accounting for confounders relevant to HIV disease progression and substance use. Young sexual minority men and transgender women living with HIV (LWH) in Georgia (N = 385) completed measures and biological tests for HIV viral load and substance use. Multivariable regression models tested…
HIV Information Avoidance, HIV Stigma, and Medical Mistrust among Black Sexual Minority Men in the Southern United States
Sexual Identity Disclosure and Alcohol Experiences Among LGBTQ+ Adolescents
Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) report greater alcohol use in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. Prior research has found that elevated alcohol use among SGMY can be explained by minority stress experiences. Sexual identity outness may be another factor that drives alcohol use among SGMY, given that outness is associated with alcohol use among older sexual and gender minority samples. We examined how patterns of sexual identit…
Evidence of Diverse Identities in a Large National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents
Adolescence is a time of identity exploration, and preliminary evidence indicates the ways adolescents are describing their sexual and gender identities (SOGI) are changing. A nuanced understanding of SOGI is necessary for valid assessment in developmental research. Current measures do not capture the diversity of emerging identities among young people. Our study analyzed a national sample of 17,112 sexual and gender minority adolescents (13-17 y…
Intersectional internalized stigma among Black gay and bisexual men
Internalized stigma undermines health among people diagnosed with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI), yet limited research has examined how internalized stigma develops. Black gay and bisexual men ( n = 151) reported their race and sexual orientation internalized stigma once before HIV/STI diagnosis and their HIV/STI internalized stigma monthly for 1 year after HIV/STI diagnosis. Multilevel analyses demonstrated that race and sex…
Teacher Support Moderates Associations among Sexual Orientation Identity Outness, Victimization, and Academic Performance among LGBQ+Youth
Complex Outness Patterns Among Sexual Minority Youth
Sexual orientation trends and disparities in school bullying and violence-related experiences, 1999–2013
Numerous recent studies have demonstrated that schools are often unsafe for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents, who are more likely than heterosexual peers to be bullied, harassed, or victimized in school contexts. Virtually all of these studies call for change, yet none investigate whether or not it has occurred. Using repeated waves of a population-based high school survey, we examine (1) the extent to which sexual orientation differe…
Contextualizing the Well-being of Asexual Youth
Gender expansive youth disclosure and mental health
Some healthcare providers work with gender expansive youth, and preliminary evidence notes that many of these youth do not disclose their gender identity to all of their healthcare providers. No previous research focused on youth has explored gender identity disclosure to healthcare providers, nor linked youth disclosure to negative mental health outcomes (e.g., symptoms of depression). Data were drawn from the LGBTQ National Teen Survey in order…
Bullying, depression, and parental acceptance in a sample of Latinx sexual and gender minority youth
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth of color—in particular Latinx SGM youth—experience higher incidents of bullying compared to heterosexual and cisgender White youth. These disparities oftentimes explain increased negative mental health outcomes, such as depression. Parental acceptance may be a particularly important buffer to the effects of bullying on negative mental health outcomes among Latinx SGM youth. In a sample of 1,005 Latinx SGM yo…
Supportive Community Resources Are Associated with Lower Risk of Substance Use among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Adolescents in Minnesota
How Does Sexual Identity Disclosure Impact School Experiences
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals disproportionately report negative academic outcomes and experiences as a result of stigma and discrimination. No research to date has investigated how being out in different social relationships may affect these youth. We compare youth who are out to family, friends, and people at school to understand which patterns of disclosure are related to school experiences. More complex patterns of “outness” we…
Does outness function the same for all sexual minority youth? Testing its associations with different aspects of well-being in a sample of youth with diverse sexual identities
While research generally supports that greater outness about one's sexual identity is associated with improved well-being, emerging evidence suggests that outness may have negative consequences for bisexual individuals. Yet, few studies have examined sexual identity as a moderator of the associations between outness and well-being, especially among youth. As such, the role of outness in the mental health of diverse sexual minority youth (includin…
Parent-child Relationships and Sexual Minority Youth
Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Alcohol Use
Trends in suicidality among sexual minority and heterosexual students in a canadian population-based cohort study
These findings have important public health implications, especially since we see decreases in suicidal behaviour for heterosexual adolescents, but not in the same way for many sexual minority youth, despite advances in social acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues in North America
Outness and social–emotional adjustment among asexual and demisexual adolescents
Adolescents who identify as asexual (i.e., do not experience sexual attraction) remain understudied despite a recent increase in studies carried out among asexual adults. The present study provides data on the frequency of asexual identities among adolescents with attention to diversity across the asexuality spectrum, including a focus on demisexual adolescents. We utilized a national sample of 17,112 LGBQA + adolescents aged 13–17—of which 773 (…
Sexual minority youth in romantic relationships
This study investigated differences in depressive symptoms, loneliness, and self-esteem for monosexual (lesbian, gay) and plurisexual (bisexual, pansexual, queer) sexual minority youth (SMY) by relationship status (single, partnered) and relationship configuration (same-gender partner, different-gender partner). Participants included 338 SMY (M age = 19.10 years) who reported on their relationship status, partner's gender identity, well-being, an…
Queering Hookup Motives in a Diverse Sample of LGBTQ+ Young Adults
There is a paucity of research on hookup motives among LGBTQ+ young adults, despite the importance of such sexual encounters for the development of LGBTQ+ young adults' identities. In this study, we examined the hookup motives of a diverse sample of LGBTQ+ young adults through in-depth qualitative interviews. Interviews were conducted with 51 LGBTQ+ young adults across college campuses at three sites in North America. We asked participants, " Wha…
Sexual Identity Disclosure and Awareness of HIV Prevention Methods Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men
Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are disproportionately affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, yet we know little about how HIV-negative BMSM of different sexual orientations access HIV prevention strategies. Identity development, minority stress, and disclosure theories suggest that for people of different sexual orientations, disclosure of sexual identity may be related to health behaviors. We performed a latent clas…
Associations Between State-Level Structural Stigma and Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Mental Health
Substance Use, Parental and Teacher Support, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Latinx Sexual and Gender Minority Youth
Latinx sexual and gender minority youth (LSGMY) experience specific stressors due to intersectional systemic oppression that negatively impact their mental health. Additionally, many LSGMY report engaging in substance use to cope with daily stressors. Furthermore, research shows that parental and teacher support can serve as a buffer against substance use and negative mental health outcomes among these communities. However, there is little resear…
A Latent Profile Analysis of Religious Parents’ Responses to Their Sexual and Gender Diverse Child
Prior research indicates that religious parents can have negative, positive, or ambivalent responses to their child's sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Yet, to our knowledge no research has quantitatively examined patterns of sexual and gender diverse (SGD) youth's perceptions of their religious parents' responses to their SOGI. Without examining variations in these patterns, we are unable to better understand the experiences of SGD …
Heterogenous associations between Gender‐Sexuality Alliances and LGBTQ adolescents' maladjustment across individual victimization level
Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), which are student-initiated school clubs for LGBTQ youth and allies, can reduce victimization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. This preregistered study identified heterogeneous correlates of GSAs, based on data from an anonymous survey of LGBTQ adolescents aged 13-17 years living in the United States (N = 10,588). In line with the healthy context paradox (Pan et al. [Child Develo…
Cross-National Investigation of Health Indicators among Sexual Minorities in Norway and the United States
A cross-national study of young adult sexual minorities was conducted in order to explore the associations between sexual orientation and measures of depression, suicidality, and substance use. Two nationally representative data sets were explored from the United States (N = 14,335) and Norway (N = 2423). Results indicated that sexual minorities experienced multiple health disparities (depression, suicidality, and substance use) compared to their…
How Does Sexual Identity Disclosure Impact School Experiences
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals disproportionately report negative academic outcomes and experiences as a result of stigma and discrimination. No research to date has investigated how being out in different social relationships may affect these youth. We compare youth who are out to family, friends, and people at school to understand which patterns of disclosure are related to school experiences. More complex patterns of “outness” we…
Sexual orientation trends and disparities in school bullying and violence-related experiences, 1999–2013
Numerous recent studies have demonstrated that schools are often unsafe for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents, who are more likely than heterosexual peers to be bullied, harassed, or victimized in school contexts. Virtually all of these studies call for change, yet none investigate whether or not it has occurred. Using repeated waves of a population-based high school survey, we examine (1) the extent to which sexual orientation differe…
Trends in suicidality among sexual minority and heterosexual students in a canadian population-based cohort study
These findings have important public health implications, especially since we see decreases in suicidal behaviour for heterosexual adolescents, but not in the same way for many sexual minority youth, despite advances in social acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues in North America
Sexual Identity Disclosure and Awareness of HIV Prevention Methods Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men
Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are disproportionately affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, yet we know little about how HIV-negative BMSM of different sexual orientations access HIV prevention strategies. Identity development, minority stress, and disclosure theories suggest that for people of different sexual orientations, disclosure of sexual identity may be related to health behaviors. We performed a latent clas…
Evidence of changing patterns in mental health and depressive symptoms for sexual minority adolescents
Depression, sadness, low self-esteem, and self-harm affect a substantial number of young people in North America. However, the prevalence of these symptoms has been found to be consistently higher for sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual) populations. In this study, we traced the trends and disparities in mental health, including self-harm, forgone mental health care, good feelings, feelings of sadness, and feeling good about oneself, wi…
Investigating site-level longitudinal effects of population health interventions
There is limited research on evaluating nonrandomized population health interventions. We aimed to introduce a new approach for assessing site-level longitudinal effects of population health interventions (SLEPHI) by innovatively applying multiple group multilevel (MG-ML) modeling to repeated cycles of cross-sectional data collected from different individuals of the same sites at different times, a design commonly employed in public health resear…
Links Between Sexual Orientation and Disclosure Among Black MSM
Gender expansive youth disclosure and mental health
Some healthcare providers work with gender expansive youth, and preliminary evidence notes that many of these youth do not disclose their gender identity to all of their healthcare providers. No previous research focused on youth has explored gender identity disclosure to healthcare providers, nor linked youth disclosure to negative mental health outcomes (e.g., symptoms of depression). Data were drawn from the LGBTQ National Teen Survey in order…
Evidence of Diverse Identities in a Large National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents
Adolescence is a time of identity exploration, and preliminary evidence indicates the ways adolescents are describing their sexual and gender identities (SOGI) are changing. A nuanced understanding of SOGI is necessary for valid assessment in developmental research. Current measures do not capture the diversity of emerging identities among young people. Our study analyzed a national sample of 17,112 sexual and gender minority adolescents (13-17 y…
Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Alcohol Use
Parent-child Relationships and Sexual Minority Youth
Supportive Community Resources Are Associated with Lower Risk of Substance Use among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Adolescents in Minnesota
Teacher Support Moderates Associations among Sexual Orientation Identity Outness, Victimization, and Academic Performance among LGBQ+Youth
Intersectional internalized stigma among Black gay and bisexual men
Internalized stigma undermines health among people diagnosed with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI), yet limited research has examined how internalized stigma develops. Black gay and bisexual men ( n = 151) reported their race and sexual orientation internalized stigma once before HIV/STI diagnosis and their HIV/STI internalized stigma monthly for 1 year after HIV/STI diagnosis. Multilevel analyses demonstrated that race and sex…
PrEP Stigma and logistical barriers remain significant challenges in curtailing HIV transmission among Black and Hispanic/Latinx cisgender sexual minority men and transgender women in the US
Despite advancements in HIV prevention, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), there remain inequities in accessing PrEP among Black and Hispanic/Latinx cisgender sexual minority men and transgender women (SMMTW). Researchers have documented multiple barriers to PrEP uptake, yet the relative impacts of PrEP internalized stigma and logistical barriers (e.g., Cost; time) to PrEP use are understudied. It may be meaningful to investigate potential …
Application of an intersectional lens to bias-based bullying among LGBTQ+ youth of color in the United States
Bias-based bullying influences health, academic success, and social wellbeing. However, little quantitative work takes an intersectional perspective to understand bias-based bullying among youth with marginalized social positions, which is critical to prevention. This paper describes the application of exhaustive chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID) to understand how prevalence of race-, gender-, and sexual orientation-based bullyin…
Does outness function the same for all sexual minority youth? Testing its associations with different aspects of well-being in a sample of youth with diverse sexual identities
While research generally supports that greater outness about one's sexual identity is associated with improved well-being, emerging evidence suggests that outness may have negative consequences for bisexual individuals. Yet, few studies have examined sexual identity as a moderator of the associations between outness and well-being, especially among youth. As such, the role of outness in the mental health of diverse sexual minority youth (includin…
Bullying, depression, and parental acceptance in a sample of Latinx sexual and gender minority youth
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth of color—in particular Latinx SGM youth—experience higher incidents of bullying compared to heterosexual and cisgender White youth. These disparities oftentimes explain increased negative mental health outcomes, such as depression. Parental acceptance may be a particularly important buffer to the effects of bullying on negative mental health outcomes among Latinx SGM youth. In a sample of 1,005 Latinx SGM yo…
Contextualizing the Well-being of Asexual Youth
Complex Outness Patterns Among Sexual Minority Youth
This Is To Help Me Move Forward”
In the United States (U.S.), Black sexual minority men (BSMM) are disproportionately burdened by HIV. Prevention advances, such as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), play a key role in reducing HIV transmission and improving our understanding of sexual expression and health. Despite these advances, little is known regarding the potential link between PrEP use and positive sexuality, including the benefits that BSMM see in accessing PrEP. We con…
Amphetamine use and its associations with antiretroviral adherence and viral load among sexual minority men and transgender women living with HIV
Substance use has complex associations to HIV disease progression. The current study tested the associations between several substances and HIV viral load while accounting for confounders relevant to HIV disease progression and substance use. Young sexual minority men and transgender women living with HIV (LWH) in Georgia (N = 385) completed measures and biological tests for HIV viral load and substance use. Multivariable regression models tested…
HIV Information Avoidance, HIV Stigma, and Medical Mistrust among Black Sexual Minority Men in the Southern United States
Sexual Identity Disclosure and Alcohol Experiences Among LGBTQ+ Adolescents
Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) report greater alcohol use in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. Prior research has found that elevated alcohol use among SGMY can be explained by minority stress experiences. Sexual identity outness may be another factor that drives alcohol use among SGMY, given that outness is associated with alcohol use among older sexual and gender minority samples. We examined how patterns of sexual identit…
LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (47 works) · Psychology (41 works) · Social Psychology (32 works) · Sexual orientation (28 works) · Social Psychology (28 works) · Clinical Psychology (27 works) · Sexual minority (26 works) · Developmental psychology (25 works) · Medicine (23 works) · Clinical Psychology (22 works)