New research from the United States confirms that gay, lesbian or bisexual young people who are rejected from their families after coming out are more likely to face health issues in early adulthood. They are more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide, nearly six times as vulnerable to severe depression and more than three times at risk of drug use, the study found. The study's author Caitlin Ryan, PhD, Director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, says the findings have far reaching implications for changing how families relate to their gay, lesbian or bi children and how a wide range of providers serve gay, lesbian or bi youth across systems of care. "The new body of research we are generating will help develop resources, tools and interventions to strengthen families, prevent homelessness, reduce the proportion of youth in foster care and significantly improve the lives of LGBT young people and their families." Find out more about the research findings on the links below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 30th December 2008 - 9:02am