Four organizations partnered to address youth homelessness in Vancouver: Analysis of an intersectoral collaboration
In the mid-2000’s, health care and social service providers in Vancouver witnessed street-involved youth with undiagnosed and/or under-treated mental illnesses repeatedly entering their services in a state of chaos and crisis. They had no means of intervening with youth through the housing and mental health systems. In an attempt to break this cycle and fill […]
Multiple perpetrator rape among girls evaluated at a hospital-based Child Advocacy Center: Seven years of reviewed cases
Abstract The aim of this study was to describe contextual events, abuse experiences, and disclosure processes of adolescents who presented to a hospital-based Child Advocacy Center for medical evaluation and evidentiary collection as indicated after experiencing multiple perpetrator rape during a single event (n = 32) and to compare these findings to a group of […]
Mental health and suicidality among racially/ethnically diverse sexual minority youths
Abstract Objectives: We examined the relationships among sexual minority status, sex, and mental health and suicidality, in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of adolescents. Methods: Using pooled data from 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys within 14 jurisdictions, we used hierarchical linear modeling to examine 6 mental health outcomes across 6 racial/ethnic groups, intersecting with sexual minority […]
Mediation by peer violence victimization of sexual orientation disparities in cancer-related tobacco, alcohol, and sexual risk behaviors: Pooled Youth Risk Behavior Surveys
Abstract Objectives: We examined the role of adolescent peer violence victimization (PVV) in sexual orientation disparities in cancer-related tobacco, alcohol, and sexual risk behaviors. Methods: We pooled data from the 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. We classified youths with any same-sex sexual attraction, partners, or identity as sexual minority and the remainder as heterosexual. We […]
Youth voices and knowledges: Slam poetry speaks to social policies
Abstract Policies related to youth and their sexuality, health, and rights are rarely informed by youth voices and perspectives. We sought to understand youth voice and knowledges in their conceptions of youth rights expressed through slam poetry. We draw from theories of critical race, LatCrit, and asset-based approaches to adolescent sexual health to explore youth’s […]
Buried above ground: A university-based study of prevalence and risk/protective factors for suicidality among sexual minority youth
Abstract This study examined differences in suicidal behavior between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) and non-LGBTQ university students as well as investigated the importance of risk and protective factors in the prediction of suicidality between these two groups. A total of 1,205 university students participated in the survey. Findings show, compared to non-LGBTQ […]
Sexual-orientation disparities in substance use in emerging adults: A function of stress and attachment paradigms
Abstract More lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youths than heterosexuals report substance use. We examined a theoretical model to understand these disparities in lifetime and past-year substance use by means of stress and attachment paradigms, using the longitudinal Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII). GUTS participants are the children of […]
Capturing the wisdom and the resilience: How the Pinnacle Program fosters connections for alternative high school students
The Pinnacle Program is a joint partnership between the Vancouver Board of Education and the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD–the Provincial Ministry responsive for child protection) which provideg low barrier access for youth who wish to complete their Secondary School Graduation Certificate (Dogwood Diploma or Adult Dogwood Diploma). Many of the youth who […]
Health for the World’s Adolescents: A Second Chance in the Second Decade of Life
The achievements since the 1989 World Health Assembly Resolution on the health of adolescents underpin this report. It synthesizes the progress made and the many lessons learned about rectifying the misconceptions about adolescent health, developing consensus on core indicators, better analysing the available data, strengthening the evidence base for effective interventions across a range of […]
From Hastings Street to Haida Gwaii: Provincial results of the 2013 BC Adolescent Health Survey
The 2013 BC Adolescent Health Survey was administered to almost 30,000 public school students across the province. It provides a comprehensive look at the health of youth aged 12–19. This is the fifth time students have been asked to complete the survey since 1992, and the regional coverage was the highest yet. Fifty-six of the […]
