Early adolescent romantic experiences and psychosocial functioning in sexual minority youth

Abstract

Sexual minority youth are at greater risk for negative psychosocial outcomes starting in early adolescence, in part due to stress related to stigma and discrimination. We examined early adolescent romantic involvement as a potential risk or protective factor for the development of psychosocial concerns in sexual minority youth using two independent samples of youth assessed in early adolescence. Study 1 utilized prospective, longitudinal data from the Stony Brook Temperament Study (SBTS) to examine associations between youth romantic experiences, sexual orientation, and psychosocial functioning from early (age 12) to middle (age 15) adolescence (N=392; n=348 heterosexual youth, n=44 sexual minority youth). Study 2 utilized cross-sectional data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, a study with a larger and more diverse sample, to further examine the interaction between romantic experiences and sexual orientation in association with psychiatric symptoms in early adolescence (age 12), as well as whether interactive effects of romantic experiences and sexual orientation on psychiatric symptoms vary based on race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (N=7184; n=6633 heterosexual youth, n=551 sexual minority youth). Although heterosexual and sexual minority youth were equally likely to have romantic and sexual experience in the SBTS sample, sexual minority youth were more likely to participate in romantic and sexual activity in early adolescence than their heterosexual peers in the ABCD sample. Across both samples, romantic experience in early adolescence was associated with poorer concurrent and subsequent psychosocial outcomes for sexual minority youth. Further, the interactive effects of romantic experience and sexual orientation in association with psychosocial outcomes did not vary based on race/ethnicity or parental education in the ABCD sample. These findings begin to characterize early adolescent romantic experiences in sexual minority youth and suggest that romantic involvement during this period may be linked to psychosocial concerns. This work may inform future clinical interventions targeting mental health in sexual minority youth.