Substance use among sexual minority young people: The influence of community attitudes and identities

This thesis provides an examination of the disproportionate use of licit and illicit substances among sexual minority young people. It shows a clear picture that substance use is not equally distributed among all groups within this population, and that a range of underlying factors are responsible for existing disparities between this population and the general population. These include marginalisation and mental health as well as characteristics of the LGBT community such as peer pressure, high concentration of licensed venues, and socio-political values. Both connectedness to and participation in the LGBT community were significantly associated with substance use involvement