TY - JOUR
PY - 2014//
TI - Sexual identity, partner gender, and sexual health among adolescent girls in the united states
JO - American journal of public health
A1 - Riskind, Rachel G.
A1 - Tornello, Samantha L.
A1 - Younger, Brendan C.
A1 - Patterson, Charlotte J.
SP - 1957
EP - 1963
VL - 104
IS - 10
N2 - OBJECTIVEs. We examined associations between adolescent girls' sexual identity and the gender of their sexual partners, on one hand, and their reports of sexual health behaviors and reproductive health outcomes, on the other.
METHODS. We analyzed weighted data from pooled Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (2005 and 2007) representative of 13 US jurisdictions, focusing on sexually experienced girls in 8th through 12th grade (weighted nā=ā6879.56). We used logistic regression with hierarchical linear modeling to examine the strength of associations between reports about sexual orientation and sexual and reproductive health.
RESULTS. Sexual minority girls consistently reported riskier behaviors than did other girls. Lesbian girls' reports of risky sexual behaviors (e.g., sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol) and negative reproductive health outcomes (e.g., pregnancy) were similar to those of bisexual girls. Partner gender and sexual identity were similarly strong predictors of all of the sexual behaviors and reproductive health outcomes we examined.
CONCLUSIONS. Many sexual minority girls, whether categorized according to sexual identity or partner gender, are vulnerable to sexual and reproductive health risks. Attention to these risks is needed to help sexual minority girls receive necessary services. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print August 14, 2014: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302037).
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0090-0036 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302037 ID - ref1 ER -