NCJ Number
218627
Journal
Journal of Adolescent Health Volume: 40 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 440-447
Date Published
May 2007
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the effects of religiosity on the substance use of young heterosexual versus young “sexual minority” adults.
Abstract
The results indicated that religiosity provided a protective factor against substance abuse for heterosexual but not sexual minority young adults. Specifically, religiosity was found to have no impact on the past-year substance abuse of sexual minority young adults at the 6-year follow-up. On the other hand, each unit increase in religiosity for young heterosexual adults decreased their odds of binge drinking by 9 percent, marijuana use by 20 percent, and cigarette smoking by 13 percent at the 6-year follow-up. The findings lead to questions concerning the over-generalization of past research indicating that religiosity is a protective factor against substance use during young adulthood. The current findings suggest that the protective influence of religiosity may only hold true for heterosexual young adults and not for sexual minority young adults. Future research should focus on multidimensional measures of religiosity and sexual identity to build a knowledge base for effective health promotion efforts targeting sexual minority youths and young adults. Data were drawn from Waves 1 and 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which used a computer-assisted self-interviewing instrument to assess youth at baseline and then again approximately 6 years later as young adults. The analysis divided youths into three categories: sexual minorities who did not report same-sex attraction during Wave 1, sexual minorities who did report same-sex attraction at Wave 1, and heterosexuals. Variables under analysis for this study were sexual identity, religiosity, substance use, and demographic variables. Data were analyzed using a series of logistic regression analyses. Tables, References