Family Socioeconomic Status, Gender, and the Mental Health Trajectories of Sexual Minority Youth Transitioning into Adulthood

• In Event: 460 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Paper Session. Sexuality over the Life Course

Abstract

Drawing on life course theory, this study estimated growth curves of depressive symptoms from adolescence into adulthood among sexual minority youth (e.g., youth reporting same-sex attractions or same-sex sexual and romantic behaviors) and their peers in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Of particular interest was the variation in these trajectories by family socioeconomic status. For boys, same-sex attraction was consistently associated with more depressive symptomatology from adolescence into adulthood. For girls, same-sex romantic/sexual behavior mattered in general, but the role of same-sex attraction differed by family background. The greatest vulnerability was found for same-sex attracted girls whose parents had low incomes and low levels of educational attainment. These findings suggest that the mental health risks associated with sexual minority status vary based on developmental timing, the dimension of sexuality of interest, and the larger system of socioeconomic stratification.

Authors

• Alexa Martin-Storey, Université de Sherbrooke

• Sarah M. Kendig, Arkansas State University

• Robert Crosnoe, University of Texas-Austin