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

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Although a large body of research shows mental health disparities for sexual and gender minority youth (Russell & Fish, 2016), only recently has attention been given to the mental healthcare that these youth seek and whether the care they receive is effective and affirming (Ranji et al., 2014). Several groups of sexual and gender minority youth can be identified that might be at particular risk for mental health problems and a lack of access to healthcare. For example, sexual and gender minority youth are more likely to experience partner violence, exhibit behavior problems, and experience housing instability, but may be less likely to care. This symposium addresses healthcare utilization and effectiveness for sexual and gender minority youth. The first paper examines sexual orientation disparities in healthcare utilization, showing increased rates of mental healthcare utilization, but decreased rates of support from informal sources of care, such as friends, family, and clergy. The second paper presents associations between sexual minority status and mental healthcare usage, mediated by behavior problems in a longitudinal study of adolescents. The third paper focuses on LGBTQ youth and shows that transgender and gender nonconforming youth experienced more partner violence than cisgender sexual minority youth, and controlling for partner violence, they were more likely to seek health services. The last paper utilized a diary method with sexual and gender minority adolescents experiencing housing insecurity, and showed the benefits of providing mental health services to these adolescents for mood, school, and personal relationships.

Sub Unit

• Sex, Gender

Chair

• Laura Baams, University of Groningen

Individual Presentations

• Sexual Orientation Disparities in Healthcare Utilization: Differences in Informal and Formal Care - Presenting Author: Laura Baams, University of Groningen; Non-Presenting Author: Susan De Luca, University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Author: Chris Brownson, University of Texas at Austin

• Sexual Minority Status and Mental Health Service Usage in a Group of At-Risk Adolescents - Presenting Author: Alexa Martin-Storey, Université de Sherbrooke; Non-Presenting Author: Michèle Déry, Université de Sherbrooke; Non-Presenting Author: Jean-Pascal Lemelin, Université de Sherbrooke; Non-Presenting Author: Mélanie Lapalme, Université de Sherbrooke; Non-Presenting Author: Caroline Temcheff, McGill University

• Healthcare Utilization Patterns among LGBTQ Youth with Partner Violence Exposure: Examining Differences Across Gender Identity - Presenting Author: Jillian Scheer, Yale University

• Mental Health Care for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth Facing Housing Insecurity - Presenting Author: Jenifer McGuire, University of Minnesota; Non-Presenting Author: Nova Bradford, University of Minnesota; Non-Presenting Author: Felicia Washington Sy, Reclaim; Non-Presenting Author: Katherine Spencer, University of Minnesota