Affective Distress Among Adolescents Who Endorse Same-Sex Sexual Attraction: Urban versus Rural Differences and the Role of Protective Factors

Abstract

The present study examined whether sexual minority adolescents in rural areas were significantly more distressed than their rural sexual majority peers. Additionally, the study examined the impact of level of school belonging, family belonging, and the presence of a mentoring relationship on affective distress for rural sexual minority adolescents and youth (N = 469). Findings indicated that rural adolescents who were sexual minorities reported higher levels of affective distress than their rural heterosexual counterparts. In examining rural sexual minorities alone, higher levels of school and family belonging were associated with lower levels of distress. A relationship was not found between level of distress and mentoring relationships. The importance of building networks of support for sexual minorities in rural areas is addressed.

KEYWORDS:

• mental health
• sexual identity
• adolescent
• urban
• rural
• distress
• sexual minority

Notes

1. This research uses data from Add Health, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris, and funded by a grant P01-HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 17 other agencies.  Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design.  Persons interested in obtaining data files from Add Health should contact Add Health, Carolina Population Center, 123 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-2524 (www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth/contract.html).