COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Camille Gibson

TITLE: AN INTEGRATED THEORETICAL EXAMINATION OF GENERAL STRAIN AND IDENTITY THEORY TO DESCRIBE LESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL (LGB) YOUTH DRUG USE

 ABSTRACT: In recent years, the United States has experienced an increase in LGBT+ youth perpetrating drugs, sex, and violent offenses. Herein, this trend is being examined regarding youth drug use with a general strain theory and identity theory framework given LGBT+ existence in a heteronormative context. According to Identity Theory, individuals maintain three main identities that if incongruent can create friction which could potentially lead to crime. The friction may involve the LGBT+ identity and other contributing factors such as demographics age, race, religion, level of education, adverse childhood experiences, stigmatization, discrimination, mental illness, lack of family/community support, history of criminal activity, and identity measures such as masculine versus feminine identities and sexual minority identity.

This study examined how the LGBT+ identity may create  strain with an individual’s three main identities of personal, group, and societal, and how any contradicting identities may create enough strain to lead an individual toward delinquency, specifically drug use possibly as a means of coping. This study utilized secondary data from Wave 1 of the Generations: A Study of the Life and Health of LGB People in a Changing Society, United States, 2016-2019. The sample consisted of 1,519 participants taken from the initial sample size of 366,644 individuals across the United States. The research questions were:

  1. Does LGBT Identity Strain predict LGB drug use?
  2. To what extent does experience with LGB stigma/discrimination predict drug use in LGB youth?
  3. Do sexual and gender identity strains increase the likelihood of drug use?
  4. Are specific societal perceptions of the LGB community related to the likelihood of LGB youth becoming involved with drugs? The researcher used Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to analyze the data. The study has implications for LGB individuals, communities, advocates, policymakers, and stakeholders who are interested in the well-being of LGB youth.

Room Location: Don Clark Building, Room 332.