Homelessness is much more common among gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers than among their heterosexual counterparts, according to a study of over 6,300 Massachusetts high school students that also found homeless gay, lesbian and bisexual teens are consistently more likely to be living on their own without a parent or guardian. The study was published online recently in the American Journal of Public Health.

Combining data from the 2005 and 2007 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston found that about 25% of gay and lesbian, 15% of bisexual, and 3% of exclusively heterosexual Massachusetts public high school students were homeless.

This is the first study to measure the risk of homelessness among youths of different sexual orientations using population based data. The analysis covered data on 6,317 students in grades 9 to 12 (corresponds roughly with age 14 to 18).

First author Dr Heather Corliss, of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s, told the media that:

“Prior studies in homeless street youth have found that sexual minorities occur in much higher numbers than we’d expect based on their numbers in the community in general.”

“This study looked at the magnitude of the difference for the first time,” she added.

Corliss and colleagues hope their study will raise awareness among school administrators and other professionals working with young people.

“The high risk of homelessness among sexual minority teens is a serious problem requiring immediate attention,” she urges:

“These teens face enormous risks and all types of obstacles to succeeding in school and are in need of a great deal of assistance.”

Corliss and colleagues found that the rate of homelessness was 3.2% among those who described themselves as exclusively heterosexual, 12.5% among heterosexuals who said they had same-sex partners, 15% among bisexuals, 25% among lesbians and gays, and 20% among those were not sure about their sexual orientation.

Although less than 5% of students identified themselves as, gay, lesbian or bisexual, they represented 19% of those who were homeless.

Among boys who said they were gay, only 8% said they were homeless but living with at least one parent or guardian, compared with 15% who said they were homeless and unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.

Among girls who said they were lesbian, only 3.8% said they were homeless but living with at least one parent or guardian, compared with 22.5% who were homeless but unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.

There was a similar pattern among bisexual students, heterosexuals with same-sex partners, and males unsure of their sexual orientation.

Corliss and colleagues also found that the main reason gay, lesbian and bisexual teens were homeless was an “increased risk of living separately from their parents or guardians”.

They concluded that youth homelessness is linked to threats such as violence, substance use and mental health problems, and although discrimination and victimization are likely to be important causes, we need to do more research to understand the nature of these risks and how to minimize them.

Corliss said:

“Teens with a sexual minority orientation are more likely than heterosexual teens to be unaccompanied and homeless rather than part of a homeless family.”

“This suggests that they may be more likely to be mistreated or rejected by their families and more likely to leave home,” she added.

The YRBS is a nationwide survey of a representative sample of American students in grades 9 through to 12 that most states in the US carry out every other year.

In 2005, Massachusetts was the first state to include questions like “What is your primary nighttime residence?” or “Where do you typically sleep at night?” in order accurately to assess whether respondents are homeless or not. The researchers defined homelessness as not having a fixed, regular and adequate “nighttime residence”. This is in line with the main federal legislation that covers the education of homeless children in American public schools, the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act.

The researchers suggest because their data only covered students in Massachusetts, where attitudes toward homosexuality tend to be more favorable, the figures for other states could be higher. Also, they did not include students who were absent from school on the day of the survey, so more homeless young people may be missing from the data set, as they are more likely to be absentees.

“High Burden of Homelessness Among Sexual-Minority Adolescents: Findings From a Representative Massachusetts High School Sample.”
Heather L. Corliss, Carol S. Goodenow, Lauren Nichols, and S. Bryn Austin
AJPH published online ahead of print 21 July 2011; DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300155
Link to Abstract.

Additional source: Children’s Hospital Boston.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD