• Contextual Factors for Suicidal Ideation Among Sexual Minority Youth
  Presented by: Stephen T. Russell, Russell B. Toomey

• Adolescents' Engagement in Risky Sexual Behaviors: Parenting Matters
  Presented by: Alyssa D. McElwain, Jennifer L. Kerpelman, Bailey E. Lathem, Francesca M. Adler-Baeder, Joe F. Pittman

• Marital Conflict and Girls' Disordered Eating: Parenting as a Mediator
  Presented by: Elizabeth H. Blodgett Salafia, Mallary K. Schaefer, Emily C. Haugen

• The Importance of a Face and Place in Understanding Precocious Sexual Behaviors
  Presented by: Michael J Merten, Amanda Williams, Micah Hall

Abstracts

Contextual Factors for Suicidal Ideation Among Sexual Minority Youth

Presented by: Stephen T. Russell, Russell B. Toomey

Sexual minority youth are at greater risk for suicidality compared to their heterosexual peers. Yet, few research studies empirically examine risk and protective factors that explain this disparate risk. This study utilizes the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to explore potential risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation among same-sex attracted (SSA) youth. We found several interactions between contextual factors (i.e., personal characteristics; emotional health and risk behaviors; family, school, and peer contextual experiences) and sexual orientation, which help to explain unique contextual risks for suicidality among SSA youth. Implications for future research, intervention, and prevention will be discussed.

Adolescents' Engagement in Risky Sexual Behaviors: Parenting Matters

Presented by: Alyssa D. McElwain, Jennifer L. Kerpelman, Bailey E. Lathem, Francesca M. Adler-Baeder, Joe F. Pittman

This study examines how parental warmth and psychological control, adolescent well-being, and adolescent demographic factors are related to adolescents' sexual risk taking. The sample (N=1,554) included students in grades 9-12. More parental warmth was associated with less risky sexual behaviors.  Higher depression and lower self-esteem predicted more risky sexual behavior. Gender moderated the association between parental psychological control and risky sexual behaviors.  Males who experience psychological control from their parents report higher levels of risky sexual behavior. This study extends past research by showing that parental psychological control may be particularly potent for explaining male adolescents' risky sexual behaviors.

Marital Conflict and Girls' Disordered Eating: Parenting as a Mediator

Presented by: Elizabeth H. Blodgett Salafia, Mallary K. Schaefer, Emily C. Haugen

The family system has frequently been suggested to play an important role in adolescents' health. This study examined the direct effect that marital conflict had on the disordered eating patterns of 103 adolescent girls in middle school and high school. We also tested the mediating role of both mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationship quality in this relation. Using girls' self-report questionnaires, we found that marital conflict both directly and indirectly, via parent-adolescent relationship quality, led to girls' disordered eating patterns. This ultimately demonstrates how influential the mother-father, mother-adolescent, and father-adolescent family subsystems are in predicting girls' eating patterns.

The importance of a face and place in understanding precocious sexual behaviors

Presented by: Michael J Merten, Amanda Williams, Micah Hall

Half of U.S. high school students have had sex and nearly 6% of sexually active youth are under age 13. Results from the present study show variation in health services, sexual behavior, and STDs based on gender, age, level of sexual activity, source of sexual health information, and family living arrangements. Findings show girls are at unique risk and that homeless youth and those living in non-parent homes may be minimally different from those living with parents in terms of sexual behavior, yet receive more sexual health services. Results illustrate the importance of multiple factors related to precocious sexual activity.