Open AccessThe Association Between Same-Sex Romantic Attractions and Relationships and Running Away Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents
Author(s) -
Martha W. Waller,
Rebecca Polley Sanchez
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child and adolescent social work journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.613
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1573-2797
pISSN - 0738-0151
DOI - 10.1007/s10560-011-0242-0
Subject(s) - association (psychology) , romance , sexual orientation , psychology , demography , population , sample (material) , developmental psychology , same sex , sexual behavior , social psychology , clinical psychology , sociology , chromatography , psychoanalysis , psychotherapist , chemistry
Sexual minorities are overrepresented among the runaway population, and sexual minority runaways are at greater risk for adverse health outcomes than their heterosexual peers. Our knowledge of this vulnerable population has been restricted by methodological limitations of existing studies. This study used a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents to explore the association between same-sex romantic attractions and relationships and run away behavior over a two year period. Results indicated that although the association between sexual orientation and running away appears to be partially attenuated by other risk factors for running away, there remains a significant positive association between same-sex romantic attractions and running away. Furthermore, youth with no romantic or sexual relationships were significantly less likely to report running away compared to youth with only opposite-sex relationships. These associations remained significant even after controlling for other risk factors.