What's Love Got to Do with It? Substance Use and Social Integration for Young People Categorized by Same-Sex Experience and Attractions

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess whether social integration and substance use differed between three groups of adolescents that were categorized by a combination of sexual experience and attractions: (a) heterosexual orientation and attraction only, (b) same-sex experiences without same-sex attraction, and (c) same-sex attraction. A school based sample of 5,500 Norwegian 16 to 19 year olds (92% response rate) with good population representativity was analyzed. Same-sex experiences included “necking”/“making out,” petting, intercourse, and oral sex. Compared to heterosexual young people, young people reporting same-sex sexual experiences only were more socially integrated into their peer group and consumed more alcohol. Young people reporting same-sex attraction reported poorer social integration into peer networks and good social support, but a stronger sense of loneliness. Use of illegal drugs other than marijuana was more than three times as prevalent compared to that of heterosexual youths, and the gender differences in substance use were small or the opposite of what was expected.