Research Links
Poor Health Of LGB Youth to Family Rejection

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)