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Supportive Community Resources Are Associated with Lower Risk of Substance Use among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Adolescents in Minnesota

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Abstract

Research has indicated that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer/questioning (LGBQ) adolescents have disproportionately high rates of substance use compared to heterosexual peers; yet certain features of schools and communities have been associated with lower substance use rates in this population. To advance this field, research examining multiple levels of influence using measures developed with youth input is needed. With community, school, and student data, this study tested hypotheses that LGBQ students attending high schools and living in communities with more LGBQ-supportive environments (assessed with a novel inventory tool) have lower odds of substance use behaviors (cigarette smoking, alcohol use, marijuana use, prescription drug misuse, and other drug use) than their peers in less supportive LGBQ environments. Multilevel models using data from 2454 LGBQ students (54.0% female, 63.9% non-Hispanic white) in 81 communities and adjusting for student and school covariates found that LGBQ adolescents who lived in areas with more community support had lower odds of frequent substance use, particularly among females. Expanding and strengthening community resources (e.g., LGBQ youth-serving organizations, LGBQ events such as a Pride parade, and LGBQ-friendly services) is recommended to further support LGBQ adolescents and reduce substance use disparities.

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Acknowledgements

Minnesota Student Survey data were provided by public school students in Minnesota via local public school districts and are managed by the Minnesota Student Survey Interagency Team.

Authors' Contributions

MEE conceived of the study and drafted and revised the manuscript; DJE managed the data and conducted statistical analysis; ALG oversaw community-level data collection, aided in interpretation of data; LK created the spatial dataset and aided in interpretation of data; RJW participated in community-level data collection and aided in interpretation of data; HLC participated in the design of the study and aided in interpretation of data; EMS participated in the design of the study and aided in interpretation of data. All authors reviewed and critically revised multiple manuscript drafts and approved the final manuscript.

Data Sharing Declaration

This manuscript's data will not be deposited.

Funding

This research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01HD078470. Watson acknowledges support from the National Institute of Drug Abuse under Award Number K01DA047918. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA

    Marla E. Eisenberg & Amy L. Gower

  2. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Darin J. Erickson

  3. U-Spatial, Research Computing, Office of Vice President for Research, University of Minnesota, 267 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Len Kne

  4. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Ryan J. Watson

  5. School of Public Health and Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Court, Suite 100, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA

    Heather L. Corliss

  6. Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, T201-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada

    Elizabeth M. Saewyc

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  1. Marla E. Eisenberg
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Correspondence to Marla E. Eisenberg.

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The University of Minnesota’s Institutional Review Board exempted this analysis from review due to use of existing anonymous student data and publicly available organizational and institutional (i.e. non-human) data.

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Parental notification and student assent were used for surveys, in accordance with applicable federal laws.

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Eisenberg, M.E., Erickson, D.J., Gower, A.L. et al. Supportive Community Resources Are Associated with Lower Risk of Substance Use among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning Adolescents in Minnesota. J Youth Adolescence 49, 836–848 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01100-4

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