Abstract
Sexual orientation is a multidimensional construct which is increasingly recognized as an important demographic characteristic in population health research. For this study, weighted Youth Risk Behavior Survey data were pooled across 47 jurisdictions biennially from 2005 to 2015, resulting in a national sample of 98 jurisdiction-years (344,815 students). Respondents were a median of 15.5 years, 49.9% male, and 48.8% White. Sexual identity and behavior trends from 2005 to 2015 were assessed with logistic regression analysis. Overall, 13.9% of females and 7.0% of males identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), or not sure, while 9.1% of females and 4.2% of males indicated both same-and-different-sex behavior or same-sex behavior. In total, 17.0% of female and 8.5% of male youth reported non-heterosexual (LGB or not sure) sexual identity, same-sex sexual behavior, or both. LGB youth were approximately twice as likely as other youth to report lifetime sexual behavior. White and Asian youth were less likely to report non-heterosexual identity and/or have engaged in same-sex sexual behaviors than youth of other races/ethnicities. Prevalence of non-heterosexual identities increased over time for both sexes, but only female youth reported significantly more same-sex behavior over time. This is the first study to simultaneously assess adolescent sexual identity and behavior over time within a national dataset. These findings are critical for understanding the sexual health needs of adolescents and for informing sexual health policy and practice.
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04 June 2019
The following correction should be noted to the caption of Fig. 1 in this article.
Notes
In the 2007 survey, Delaware changed option 2 from “Gay or lesbian” to “Homosexual (gay or lesbian).”
In the 2005 survey, Boston and Massachusetts asked “During your life, the person(s) with whom you have had sexual contact is (are)…” and the response options were “I have not had sexual contact with anyone,” “Female(s),” “Male(s),” or “Female(s) and male(s).” In the 2005 survey, Maine asked “The person(s) with whom you have had sexual contact during your life is (are)” and the response options were “I have never had sexual contact,” “Female,” “Male,” or “Male and female.”
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their role in developing the YRBS.
Funding
This study was supported by the following grants from the National Institutes of Health: R01 AA024409 (PI: Phillips), K01 DA039804 (PI: Philbin), K08 DA037825 (PI: Birkett), K08 DA045575 (PI: Feinstein).
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Phillips, G., Beach, L.B., Turner, B. et al. Sexual Identity and Behavior Among U.S. High School Students, 2005–2015. Arch Sex Behav 48, 1463–1479 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1404-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-1404-y