Citation

Fish JN, Moody RL, Grossman AH, Russell ST. J. Youth Adolesc. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton St. Stop A2702, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10964-019-01129-5

PMID

31606828

Abstract

LGBTQ youth are at greater risk for compromised health, yet large-scale health promotion programs for LGBTQ young people have been slow to develop. LGBTQ community-based organizations-which provide LGBTQ-focused support and services-have existed for decades, but have not been a focus of the LGBTQ youth health literature. The current study used a contemporary sample of LGBTQ youth (age 15-21; M = 18.81; n = 1045) to examine who participates in LGBTQ community-based organizations, and the association between participation and self-reported mental health and substance use. Youth who participated in LGBTQ community-based organizations were more likely to be assigned male at birth, transgender, youth of color, and accessing free-or-reduced lunch. Participation was associated with concurrent and longitudinal reports of mental health and substance use. LGBTQ community-based organizations may be an underutilized resource for promoting LGBTQ youth health.

Language: en

Keywords

Community programs; Health promotion; LGBTQ; Mental health; Sexual and gender minority; Substance use; Youth