Sexual Risk in “Mostly Heterosexual” Young Women: Influence of Social Support and Caregiver Mental Health

Heather L. Corliss · Sydney Bryn Austin · Andrea L. Roberts · Beth E. Molnar

62 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Women s Health

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LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Female youth who describe their sexual orientation as "mostly heterosexual," rather than exclusively heterosexual, display greater sexual risk, yet reasons for this greater risk are not understood. Research is needed to identify factors responsible for health disparities in this population comprising the majority of youth who report a minority sexual orientation. METHODS: We compared indicators of perceived social support, parental/caregiver mental health, and sexual risk (age at first sexual intercourse, lifetime history of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), lifetime number of sexual partners) among 33 young women describing themselves as mostly heterosexual and 337 indicating they were 100% heterosexual (aged 18-24 years) participating in an urban, multiethnic, community-based cohort study. Linear, logistic, and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to test whether social support and caregiver mental health explained greater sexual risk among mostly heterosexual compared with heterosexual participants. RESULTS: Compared with exclusively heterosexuals, mostly heterosexuals reported less social support from family (p=0.01) and friends (p=0.02) and were more likely to report primary male caregiver (though not primary female caregiver) histories of depression (p<0.0001), treatment for depression (p<0.0001), and problems with drug use (p=0.005). Differences in perceived family social support and caregiver mental health and substance use partially mediated relationships between sexual orientation and sexual risk. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with exclusively heterosexual female youth, mostly heterosexual female youth may have poorer relationships with their family and others in their social networks, and this may contribute to their elevated health risks. Additional research is needed to understand causal mechanisms responsible for sexual orientation disparities in sexual risk.

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References

1977Toward an experimental ecology of human development.2008Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults 2006Suicidality among Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth: The Role of Protective Factors 2006Prevalence and Stability of Sexual Orientation Components During Adolescence and Young Adulthood 2006Hazards of stigma: the sexual and physical abuse of gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents in the United States and Canada.2005Sexual Orientation and Psychological Distress in Adolescence: Examining Interpersonal Stressors and Social Support Processes 2008"Mostly straight" young women: Variations in sexual behavior and identity development.2008Sexual Orientation Disparities in Longitudinal Alcohol Use Patterns Among Adolescents

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2012Does Maltreatment in Childhood Affect Sexual Orientation in Adulthood?2015Comparing the Rates of Early Childhood Victimization across Sexual Orientations: Heterosexual, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Mostly Heterosexual 2017Sexual Health Risk Behavior Disparities Among Male and Female Adolescents Using Identity and Behavior Indicators of Sexual Orientation 2014Explaining mental health disparities for non-monosexual women: Abuse history and risky sex, or the burdens of non-disclosure?

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