Home > Connected, respected, and contributing to their world: the case of sexual minority and non-minority young people in Ireland.

Kolto, Andras and Gavin, Aoife and Vaughan, Elena and Kelly, Colette and Molcho, Michal and Nic Gabhainn, Saoirse (2021) Connected, respected, and contributing to their world: the case of sexual minority and non-minority young people in Ireland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, (3), 1118. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031118.

External website: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/3/1118/htm

Outcome 5 of the Irish Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures national youth policy framework (“Connected, respected, and contributing to their world”) offers a suitable way to study psychosocial determinants of adolescent health. The present study (1) provides nationally representative data on how 15- to 17-year-olds score on these indicators; (2) compares sexual minority (same- and both-gender attracted youth) with their non-minority peers. We analyzed data from 3354 young people (aged 15.78 ± 0.78 years) participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in Ireland. Age and social class were associated with the indicators only to a small extent, but girls were more likely than boys to report discrimination based on gender and age. Frequency of positive answers ranged from 67% (feeling comfortable with friends) to 12% (being involved in volunteer work). Sexual minority youth were more likely to feel discriminated based on sexual orientation, age, and gender. Both-gender attracted youth were less likely than the other groups to report positive outcomes. Same-gender attracted youth were twice as likely as non-minority youth to volunteer. The results indicate the importance of a comprehensive approach to psycho-social factors in youth health, and the need for inclusivity of sexual minority (especially bisexual) youth.


Item Type
Article
Publication Type
Irish-related, Open Access, Article
Drug Type
Alcohol, Tobacco / Nicotine
Date
January 2021
Identification #
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031118
Publisher
MDPI
Volume
18
Number
3
EndNote

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