@article{ref1,
title="Risk of heavy drinking among sexual minority adolescents: Indirect pathways through sexual orientation-related victimization and affiliation with substance-using peers",
journal="Addiction",
year="2016",
author="Dermody, Sarah S. and Marshal, Michael P. and Burton, Chad M. and Chisolm, Deena J.",
volume="111",
number="9",
pages="1599-1606",
abstract="AIMS: To test two indirect pathways through which sexual minority adolescents (SMAs) may be at risk for heavy episodic drinking (HED) including a socialization pathway via substance-using peer affiliations and social marginalization pathway via sexual minority-specific victimization and subsequent substance-using peer affiliations. <br><br>DESIGN: Analysis of the first three waves (six-months apart) of a longitudinal adolescent health risk study (2011-2014). Participants were referred by medical providers or a screening system in providers' waiting rooms. SETTING: Two large urban adolescent health clinics in Pennsylvania and Ohio, USA. PARTICIPANTS: 290 adolescents (ages 14-19, mean: 17) who were 71% female, 33% non-Hispanic White, and 34% SMAs. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported sexual minority status (wave 1) and affiliation with substance-using peers (waves 1 and 2), and latent sexual-minority specific victimization (waves 1 and 2) and HED (waves 1 and 3) variables. <br><br>FINDINGS: Using mediation analyses in a structural equation modeling framework, there was a significant indirect effect of sexual minority status (wave 1) on HED (wave 3) via affiliation with substance-using peers (wave 2; indirect effect = 0.03, 95%CI: 0.01, 0.07), after accounting for the indirect effect of sexual-orientation related victimization (wave 2; indirect effect = .10, 95%CI: 0.02-0.19). The social marginalization pathway was not supported as victimization (wave 1) was not associated with affiliation with substance-using peers (wave 2; β = -.04, p = .66). Sex differences in the indirect effects were not detected (ps > .10). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Sexual minority adolescents in the US appear to exhibit increased heavy episodic drinking via an indirect socialization pathway including affiliations with substance-using peers and a concurrent indirect pathway involving sexual minority-related victimization. The pathways appear to operate similarly for boys and girls. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.<br><br>This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0965-2140",
doi="10.1111/add.13409",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/add.13409"
}