Healthcare Utilization Patterns among LGBTQ Youth with Partner Violence Exposure: Examining Differences Across Gender Identity

• In Event: 3-038 - Mental Healthcare for Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Access, Utilization, and Effectiveness

Integrative Statement

Background: There are startling rates of partner violence (PV) among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) young people as compared to heterosexuals (Reuter, Sharp & Temple, 2015), and particularly among youth who identify as transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC; Goldenberg, Jadwin-Cakmak, & Harper, 2018). While TGNC youth report several barriers to accessing affirming healthcare services (e.g., perceived stigma from healthcare providers; Gridley et al., 2016), many seek services at high rates (Rider et al., 2018). Few studies, however, have utilized within group-designs exploring whether gender identity is a contributing factor to rates of PV (Reuter, Newcomb, Whitton, & Mustanski, 2017) and healthcare utilization among LGBTQ youth (Rider et al., 2018), and virtually no research has examined patterns of healthcare utilization related to PV exposure among this population. As such, the present study examined whether TGNC young people reported greater rates of PV exposure as well as healthcare utilization related to PV as compared to cisgender sexual minority youth.
Methods: Participants (n = 354; 25.7% bisexual, 20.9% queer, 17.5% lesbian, 14.1% gay, 12.1% pansexual, 5.7% “other”; and, 4.0% asexual; Mage = 21.60, SD = 2.12) completed surveys that assessed levels of PV exposure and healthcare service utilization related to PV exposure during the past year. The majority of participants identified as cisgender women (50.8%) followed by TGNC (33.6%), and cisgender men (15.6%). Participants reported whether they sought the following healthcare services within the past year: shelter, hotline use, transitional living program, advocacy/support services, support group, mental health counseling, medication management, legal services, and medical services. In addition, PV exposure during the past year included physical, psychological, and identity abuse (using their LGBTQ identity against them).

Results: Many LGBTQ youth (62.7%) were exposed to some form of PV during the past year, and of those youth, 41.4% sought services. TGNC youth (n = 126) experienced more identity abuse than cisgender sexual minority male and female youth, and more physical abuse than cisgender sexual minority female youth. TGNC youth were more likely to seek services than cisgender sexual minority male youth and female youth (n = 228). After controlling for frequency of PV exposure, TGNC youth were more likely to seek healthcare services from transitional living programs, hotlines, shelters, support groups, and advocacy/support services than cisgender sexual minority male and female youth.

Conclusions: Findings from this study elucidate important patterns in PV and healthcare utilization research among LGBTQ youth. Name, TGNC individuals are at greater risk for experiencing PV and are more likely to seek several healthcare services related to PV compared to their cisgender sexual minority peers. Additional longitudinal research is needed to clarify factors that increase TGNC youths’ likelihood of experiencing PV. Structural interventions are also needed to increase service utilization among LGBTQ youth with exposure to PV, and in particular, TGNC groups.

Author

• Jillian Scheer, Yale University
  Presenting Author