The Whole Family Serves: Supporting Sexual Minority Youth in Military Families

Sexual minority youth in military families have a unique set of stressors that affect their mental, emotional, and physical health. There is a pronounced gap in data addressing the specific stressors of this population and how they interact to impact the health of the adolescent. 

The culture of the United States military has historically been heterosexist and homophobic, propelled primarily by policies that restricted the recruitment and service of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals, leading to a continued secrecy around sexual orientation that may affect how sexual minority youth within the community view themselves. 

Homophobia, social stigma, and victimization lead to significant health disparities among sexual minority youth, and youth connected to the military have additional stressors as a result of frequent moves, parental deployment, and general military culture. 

Primary care providers must be aware of these stressors to provide a safe environment, thorough screening, and competent care for these adolescents.

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By:  Gyura AN, McCauley SO.

Correspondence: Ashley N. Gyura, BSN, RN, School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY.

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All Military Adolescents Are Not the Same: Sexuality and Substance Use among Adolescents in the U.S. Military Healthcare System

Data examining sexuality and substance use among active duty and military-dependent youth is limited; however, these psychosocial factors have military implications. 

Adolescents and young adults aged 12–23 were recruited from an active-duty trainee clinic (n = 225) and a military pediatric clinic (n = 223). Active duty participants were more likely to be older, male, White, previous tobacco users, and report a history of sexual activity and less contraception use at their most recent intercourse, compared to the dependent group. 

Over 10% of all participants indicated attraction to members of the same gender or both genders. In logistic regression analysis, non-White participants were less likely to use contraception compared to White participants. Adolescents and young adults seen in military clinics frequently engage in high-risk behavior. 

Clinicians who care for military youth should assess their patient’s psychosocial history. Further study of this population is warranted to identify factors that may influence risk and resilience

Below:  Use of contraception at last intercourse among participants aged 15–19: U.S. military population and National Survey of Family Growth. Blue Bars: Data from study population, n = 159. Red Bars: Data from National Survey of Family Growth 2006–2010, n = 6,145.

Below:  Risk behaviors among patients who indicated history of sexual intercourse in military adolescent clinics

Full article at: http://goo.gl/NDtWLP

By:

David A. Klein

Department of Family Medicine, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA, United States of America

David A. Klein, William P. Adelman

Department of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Amy M. Thompson

Department of Pediatrics, San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, United States of America

Richard G. Shoemaker

Clinical Investigations, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, VA, United States of America

Jane Shen-Gunther

Department of Clinical Investigation and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, United States of America

  

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