Kelly Donahue1, Niklas Långström1, Sebastian Lundström1, Paul Lichtenstein1, Mats Forsman1. 1. Kelly Donahue is with the Department of Pediatrics Section of Adolescent Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. Niklas Långström, Paul Lichtenstein, and Mats Forsman are with the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Niklas Långström and Mats Forsman are also with the Swedish Prison and Probation Administration, Norrköping, Sweden. Sebastian Lundström is with the Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health and the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Gothenburg University, Sweden.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine the influences of victimization experience and familial factors on the association between sexual minority status and psychological health outcomes among adolescents. METHODS: We used data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden, a prospective, population-based study of all twins born in Sweden since 1992. Cross-sectional analyses included individuals who completed assessments at age 18 years (n = 4898) from 2000 to 2013. We also compared psychological health among sexual minority adolescents and their nonminority co-twins. RESULTS: Sexual minority adolescents were more likely than were unrelated nonminority adolescents to report victimization experiences, including emotional abuse, physical abuse or neglect, and sexual abuse. Sexual minority adolescents also reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disordered eating, and substance misuse in addition to increased parent-reported behavior problems. Victimization experience partially mediated these associations. However, when controlling for unmeasured familial confounding factors by comparing sexual minority adolescents to their same-sex, nonminority co-twins, the effect of sexual minority status on psychological health was almost entirely attenuated. CONCLUSIONS: Familial factors-common genetic or environmental influences-may explain decreased psychological adjustment among sexual minority adolescents.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the influences of victimization experience and familial factors on the association between sexual minority status and psychological health outcomes among adolescents. METHODS: We used data from the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden, a prospective, population-based study of all twins born in Sweden since 1992. Cross-sectional analyses included individuals who completed assessments at age 18 years (n = 4898) from 2000 to 2013. We also compared psychological health among sexual minority adolescents and their nonminority co-twins. RESULTS: Sexual minority adolescents were more likely than were unrelated nonminority adolescents to report victimization experiences, including emotional abuse, physical abuse or neglect, and sexual abuse. Sexual minority adolescents also reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disordered eating, and substance misuse in addition to increased parent-reported behavior problems. Victimization experience partially mediated these associations. However, when controlling for unmeasured familial confounding factors by comparing sexual minority adolescents to their same-sex, nonminority co-twins, the effect of sexual minority status on psychological health was almost entirely attenuated. CONCLUSIONS: Familial factors-common genetic or environmental influences-may explain decreased psychological adjustment among sexual minority adolescents.