Sexual orientation victimization and posttraumatic stress symptoms among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth.

摘要

This study aimed to extend knowledge of the relationship between significant life events and experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PSS). In particular, it sought to enhance understanding of the pernicious effects of victimization based on sexual orientation by demonstrating that such victimization is an important predictor of PSS among LGB youth. The study's sample was comprised of 350 LGB youth (aged 14 to 21 years) recruited from community and educational settings. Survey method of data collection and quantitative analyses were employed.;In the first part of analysis bivariate relationships were tested and several important findings emerged. Verbal sexual orientation victimization (VSOV), physical sexual orientation victimization (PSOV), childhood gender atypicality (CGA), internalized homophobia (IH) and stressful life events not related to sexual orientation (SLE) were all significantly correlated with PSS. Gender differences were noted wherein PSOV and SLE were correlated with PSS more strongly for males than for females. No significant relationship was found between the amount of time since the disclosure of LGB identity and PSS.;In the second part of analysis, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted and the results showed that VSOV and PSOV explain a significant portion of variance in PSS over and above participants' gender, CGA, IH and SLE. VSOV was demonstrated to be the stronger predictor of PSS among LGB youth than PSOV. Overall, the variables that were shown to be the most significant predictors of PSS among LGB youth were IH, SLE and VSOV, indicating that these are the most important factors to consider when making assessment of PSS among this population.