Sexual Minority Disparities in Substance Use Willingness Among Youth.
Kristi E GamarelEthan H MereishSuzanne M ColbyNancy P BarnettKerri HayesKristina M JacksonPublished in: Substance use & misuse (2017)
Sexual minority youth reported more willingness than non-sexual minority youth to use substances offered by peers; however, longitudinal analyses revealed that peers appear to play a role only in willingness to smoke cigarettes for these youth, and thus peer influence may be a contributing factor in explaining tobacco-related disparities among sexual minority youth. Given that stigma and peer groups may a particular risk factor for tobacco among sexual minority youth, our findings highlight the importance of prevention programs such as social marketing approaches that correct social norms, reduce stigma, and provide refusal-skills training to reduce tobacco-related disparities among sexual minorities.