Sexual Orientation, Sexual Abuse, and HIV-Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents in the Pacific Northwest

Bibliographic Data

ID11025968
AuthorsElizabeth Saewyc (0000-0002-1625-9506, Elizabeth Saewyc, Colleen Poon, and Aileen Murphy are with the McCreary Centre Society, Vancouver, British Columbia. Elizabeth Saewyc is also with the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Kimberly Richens was with, and Carol Skay is with, the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Elizabeth Reis is with Public Health–Seattle and King County, Washington.), Carol L Skay (Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre), Carol Skay (Elizabeth Saewyc, Colleen Poon, and Aileen Murphy are with the McCreary Centre Society, Vancouver, British Columbia. Elizabeth Saewyc is also with the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Kimberly Richens was with, and Carol Skay is with, the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Elizabeth Reis is with Public Health–Seattle and King County, Washington.), Kimberly Richens (Elizabeth Saewyc, Colleen Poon, and Aileen Murphy are with the McCreary Centre Society, Vancouver, British Columbia. Elizabeth Saewyc is also with the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Kimberly Richens was with, and Carol Skay is with, the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Elizabeth Reis is with Public Health–Seattle and King County, Washington.), Elizabeth Reis (0000-0001-9364-2261, Elizabeth Saewyc, Colleen Poon, and Aileen Murphy are with the McCreary Centre Society, Vancouver, British Columbia. Elizabeth Saewyc is also with the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Kimberly Richens was with, and Carol Skay is with, the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Elizabeth Reis is with Public Health–Seattle and King County, Washington.), Colleen Poon (0000-0003-3436-5473, Elizabeth Saewyc, Colleen Poon, and Aileen Murphy are with the McCreary Centre Society, Vancouver, British Columbia. Elizabeth Saewyc is also with the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Kimberly Richens was with, and Carol Skay is with, the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Elizabeth Reis is with Public Health–Seattle and King County, Washington.), Aileen Murphy (0000-0003-3062-0692, Elizabeth Saewyc, Colleen Poon, and Aileen Murphy are with the McCreary Centre Society, Vancouver, British Columbia. Elizabeth Saewyc is also with the School of Nursing and the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Kimberly Richens was with, and Carol Skay is with, the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Elizabeth Reis is with Public Health–Seattle and King County, Washington.)
Year2006
Volume96
Issue6
Pages1104-1110
Publication date2006-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2005.065870
PMID16670224
PMCIDPMC1470640
OpenAlexW2068677057
LanguageEN
Citations received45
References cited20

Objectives. We explored HIV risk behaviors, sexual orientation, and sexual abuse among 5 school-based cohorts in Seattle, Wash (SEA95 and SEA99:N=7477 and N=6590), and British Columbia (BC92, BC98, and BC03 [weighted]: N=239975, N=281576, and N=265132). Methods. An HIV risk scale of 7 items assessed risky sexual behaviors and injection drug use. Self-identified sexual orientation included heterosexual, bisexual, gay/lesbian, and, in British Columbia only, mostly heterosexual. Analyses of covariance were conducted separately by gender and were adjusted for age and sexual abuse when comparing means. Results. Gay/lesbian and bisexual adolescents had higher mean age-adjusted risk scores compared with heterosexual and mostly heterosexual adolescents. After we controlled for sexual abuse history, mean scores were 2 to 4 times higher among abused students than among nonabused students in each sexual orientation group. Age/abuse-adjusted models better explained the variance in risk scores (R 2 =0.10–0.31), but sexual orientation remained an independent predictor. Conclusion. Sexual minority adolescents who attended school reported higher HIV risk behaviors, and higher prevalence of sexual victimization may partially explain these risks

Environmental health · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Lesbian · Poison control · Sexual abuse · Sexual minority · Sexual orientation · Suicide prevention · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Clinical Psychology · Demography · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology