Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, United States.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1350 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706, United States.
Child Abuse Negl. 2019 Oct;96:104099. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104099. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
Although prior studies indicate heightened health and well-being concerns for sexual minority (SM) youth, as well as for youth exposed to child maltreatment in the general population, it is unclear whether there are differences in these outcomes among SM youth that have and have not experienced maltreatment.
Our aim was to investigate the unique associations between child maltreatment and emerging health outcomes beyond the impact of SM status. Data was drawn from a nationally representative sample of 648 SM youth in the U.S. in grades 7-12 during the 1994-1995 school year.
Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares regression models were used to investigate differences in SM young adult outcomes by experiences of child maltreatment.
Maltreatment among SM individuals showed strong associations with poor adult mental health outcomes (e.g. depression, anxiety, isolation, and suicidal ideation) and fairly strong negative associations with general health outcomes (e.g., heart and lung problems) when compared to their non-maltreated peers. Associations with maltreatment and behavioral health and socioeconomic outcomes were not as strong for this population, which suggests the effects of maltreatment for SM youth are most salient in regards to mental and physical health.
Findings provide insight into what areas of health and well-being should be focused on when working with SM youth that have been maltreated, and offer evidence to encourage further exploration of the outcomes of SM maltreated individuals in young adulthood.
尽管先前的研究表明，性少数群体（SM）青年以及普通人群中遭受儿童虐待的青年更关注健康和福祉，但尚不清楚在经历过或未经历过虐待的 SM 青年中，这些结果是否存在差异。
我们旨在研究儿童虐待与新兴健康结果之间的独特关联，这些关联超出了 SM 状态的影响。数据来自于 1994-1995 学年期间美国全国范围内的 648 名处于 7-12 年级的 SM 青年的代表性样本。
使用来自青少年至成人健康纵向研究的全国性数据，采用描述性统计和普通最小二乘法回归模型，调查了经历过儿童虐待的 SM 青年的成年后结果的差异。
与未受虐待的同龄人相比，SM 个体中的虐待与较差的成年心理健康结果（如抑郁、焦虑、孤立和自杀意念）有很强的关联，与一般健康结果（如心肺问题）有相当强的负相关。对于这一人群，与虐待以及行为健康和社会经济结果的关联则不那么强烈，这表明虐待对 SM 青年的影响在心理健康和身体健康方面最为明显。
研究结果为关注遭受虐待的 SM 青年的健康和福祉领域提供了深入了解，并为鼓励进一步探索 SM 受虐青年在青年期的结果提供了证据。
