What's love got to do with it? Substance Use and Social Integration for Young People Categorized by Same-Sex Experience and Attractions

The aim of the study was to assess whether social integration and substance use differed between three groups of adolescents that were categorised by a combination of sexual experience and attractions: i) heterosexual orientation and attraction only, ii) same-sex experiences without same-sex attraction and iii) same-sex attraction. A school based sample of 5 500 Norwegian 16-19 year olds (92% response rate) with good population representativity was analysed. Same-sex experiences included ‘necking’/’making out’, petting, intercourse and oral sex. Compared to heterosexual young people, young people reporting same-sex sexual experiences only, were more socially integrated into their peer group and consumed more alcohol. Young people reporting same-sex attraction reported poorer social integration into peer networks, good social support, but a stronger sense of loneliness. Use of illegal drugs other than marijuana was more than three times as prevalent compared to heterosexual youth, and the gender differences in substance use were small or the opposite of what was expected.