Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

“Is This Normal? Is This Not Normal? There Is No Set Example”: Sexual Health Intervention Preferences of LGBT Youth in Romantic Relationships

2014; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 12; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/s13178-014-0169-2

1868-9884

George J. Greene, Kimberly A. Fisher, Laura E. Kuper, Rebecca Andrews, Brian Mustanski,

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Limited research has examined the romantic relationships of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth despite evidence of relationship-oriented risks, including STI/HIV infection, unplanned pregnancy, and interpersonal violence. In efforts to inform future dyadic sexual health interventions for LGBT youth, this couple-based study aimed to identify the most salient sexual and relationship concerns of young same-sex couples and to assess their preferences for intervention content and format. Participants were a subset 36 young, racially and ethnically diverse, same-sex couples (N = 72 individuals) recruited from two ongoing longitudinal studies. Interviews were coded using a constant comparison method, and a process of inductive and deductive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. The analysis yielded the following intervention themes: addressing sexual risk and protective behaviors, improving communication, coping with family and relationship violence, and identifying role models and sources of support. The couples reported a clear preference for small group interventions, and many recommended a mixed format approach for intervention delivery (i.e., including dyadic and online sessions). Additionally, recommendations for participant recruitment included a combination of Internet-based and social network referrals.