Sexual minority youth diversity and resilience

Abstract

These studies were part of a research line to examine how the definitions of sexual minority youth influence how and what is learned about members and subgroups in this heterogeneous population. The first study was an examination of how membership in the sexual minority population is influenced by the definition(s) of sexual orientation, as measured by the Minnesota Student Survey (MSS). The study examined the within-group variability in the populations of sexual minority youth, and discordance between reported sexual identity and sexual behavior. Results indicated that sexual orientation definitions yielded distinct prevalence rates for sexual minority youth, with some differences in prevalence of males and females across definition categories. Overall, sexual orientation definition and gender did not predict age. Evidence regarding the congruence of sexual identity and sexual behavior was inconclusive for males and females. The second study was an examination of protective factors and their interaction with alternate definitions of sexual minority youth. The second study used Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify the profile structure of sexual minority MSS participants based on a combination of individual-level protective factors. Results indicated that heterosexual students scored higher on developmental skills and supports compared to non-heterosexual students. Across students, three resilience profiles existed: low, medium, and high. Finally, age and sexual minority status significantly predicted resilience profile membership.