Researchers have
established a correlation between the health of lesbian,
gay and bisexual adolescents and how their families react to
their coming-out.
"For the
first time, research has established a predictive link
between specific, negative family reactions to their
child's sexual orientation and serious health
problems for these adolescents in young
adulthood--such as depression, illegal drug use,
risk for HIV infection, and suicide attempts,"
said Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project
at the Cesar E. Chavez Institute at San Francisco
State University and lead author of the research.
The major
research findings included:
* LGB
young adults who experienced higher rates of family
rejection had significantly poorer health outcomes.
* LGB
young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection
during adolescence were 8.4 times more likely to
report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely
to report high levels of depression, 3.4 times more
likely to use illegal drugs, and 3.4 times more likely to
report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse,
compared with peers from families that reported no or
low levels of family rejection.
* Latino
males reported the highest number of negative family
reactions to their sexual orientation in adolescence.
"This
study clearly shows the tremendous harm of family rejection,
even if parents think they are well-intentioned,
following deeply held beliefs, or even protecting
their children," said Sten Vermund, a pediatrician and
Amos Christie Chair of Global Health at Vanderbilt
University. (Advocate.com)
