Abstract
We examined the prevalence of sexual and substance use behaviors among a group of young women who have sex with women (WSW) aged 16 to 24. A convenience sample of 137 young WSW participants completed a confidential survey that included demographics, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors. Descriptive analyses were used to interpret the data. Comparisons were made between rates of risk behaviors in this sample and non-sexual minority youth in a national dataset. The mean age of participants was 19.6 (SD = 2.3) and 59% were from communities of color. Participants reported a history of risky behaviors including anal intercourse with men (26%), monthly binge drinking (22%), pregnancy (20%), and tobacco use (54%). These findings highlight the need for health promotion interventions aimed at reducing risky health behaviors in this highly vulnerable and underserved sub-population of young women.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 80-92 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Lesbian Studies |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Funding
This work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (grant R03MH070812) and the Lesbian Health Fund. The authors acknowledge the entire Youth Services staff of Howard Brown Health Center and the Broadway Youth Center with special thanks to Gilberto Soberanis. We also thank the queer youth community of Chicago for its assistance with this project.
Keywords
- Lesbian and bisexual girls
- Sexually minority youth
- Youth risk behaviors
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gender Studies
