Rockntractor
07-24-2011, 09:08 PM
by Tom Henderson
Jul 22nd 2011 4:00PM
Credit: Getty Images
Roughly 25 percent of gay and lesbian teenagers are homeless.
Compare that with only 3 percent of heterosexual teens, and you get the bleak picture painted by a study coming out of Children's Hospital in Boston.
A press released reports researchers studied more than 6,300 high school students. Not only were homosexual students dramatically more likely to be homeless, but a lot of them (homeless or not) were simply on their own with no parents or guardians.
The study was published online July 21 by the American Journal of Public Health and is the first to measure the risk of homelessness among teens of different sexual orientations.
"Prior studies in homeless street youth have found that sexual minorities occur in much higher numbers than we'd expect based on their numbers in the community in general," lead researcher Heather Corliss of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children's Hospital, says in the release. "This study looked at the magnitude of the difference for the first time."
Corliss adds the study will hopefully will raise awareness of the vulnerability of gay and lesbian teenagers to homelessness. She particularly hopes school administrators and other professionals will take heed.
Read More>http://www.parentdish.com/2011/07/22/roughly-a-fourth-of-gay-teens-are-homeless/
Jul 22nd 2011 4:00PM
Credit: Getty Images
Roughly 25 percent of gay and lesbian teenagers are homeless.
Compare that with only 3 percent of heterosexual teens, and you get the bleak picture painted by a study coming out of Children's Hospital in Boston.
A press released reports researchers studied more than 6,300 high school students. Not only were homosexual students dramatically more likely to be homeless, but a lot of them (homeless or not) were simply on their own with no parents or guardians.
The study was published online July 21 by the American Journal of Public Health and is the first to measure the risk of homelessness among teens of different sexual orientations.
"Prior studies in homeless street youth have found that sexual minorities occur in much higher numbers than we'd expect based on their numbers in the community in general," lead researcher Heather Corliss of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children's Hospital, says in the release. "This study looked at the magnitude of the difference for the first time."
Corliss adds the study will hopefully will raise awareness of the vulnerability of gay and lesbian teenagers to homelessness. She particularly hopes school administrators and other professionals will take heed.
Read More>http://www.parentdish.com/2011/07/22/roughly-a-fourth-of-gay-teens-are-homeless/