Preteen Behaviors and Sexual Orientation of High School Students Who Report Depressive Symptoms, United States, 2015-2017

Abstract

Unhealthy preteen behaviors are associated with adolescent depression. However, little is known about preteen factors among sexual minority young people, a group at increased risk for teen depression and suicide. We completed weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses on data from the national 2015 and 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 30 389 high school students in the United States. Preteen sex, cigarette smoking, and alcohol and marijuana use were significantly more prevalent among lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) and questioning students who reported depressive symptoms than among their heterosexual peers (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] range, 1.33-2.34; all significant at P < .05). The only exception was that marijuana use among questioning students was not significantly different from use among heterosexual peers (APR = 1.34; P = .11). Assessment of preteen sex and substance use—especially among LGB and questioning young people, who are more prone to depressive symptoms and more likely to initiate risky preteen behaviors than their heterosexual counterparts—will facilitate a life course approach to sexual minority mental health that should begin by early adolescence.