Sexual Minority, Justice-Involved Youth: A Hidden Population in Need of Integrated Mental Health, Substance Use, and Sexual Health Services.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

We sought to compare the demographic characteristics, drug and alcohol use, sexual behaviors, delinquency, and mental health indicators of sexual minority and nonsexual minority first-time offending, court-involved, nonincarcerated adolescents.

Methods

Using adolescent- and caregiver-reported baseline data from the Epidemiologic Study Involving Children in the Court, a prospective cohort study of 423 adolescent-caregiver dyads recruited from a Northeastern family court system, we compared demographic and behavioral health characteristics of sexual minority and nonsexual minority first-time offending, court-involved, nonincarcerated adolescents.

Results

Nearly one-third of the adolescents (31.4%, n = 133) were classified as a sexual minority; 19.6% (n = 81) sel

SUBMITTER: Hirschtritt ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6642258 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature