Multidimensional characterization of sexual minority adolescentsʹ sexual safety strategies

Young adults have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Sexual minority youthsʹ risk for STIs, including HIV, is as high as or higher than sexual majority peersʹ. Sexual safety, while often treated as a single behavior such as condom use, can be best conceptualized as the result of multiple factors. We used latent class analysis to identify profiles based on ever-used sexual safety strategies and lifetime number of partners among 425 self-identified LGBTQ youth aged 14–19. Data collection took place anonymously online. We identified four specific subgroup profiles for males and three for females, with each subgroup representing a different level and type of sexual safety. Profiles differed from each other in terms of age and outness for males, and in outness, personal homonegativity, and amount of education received about sexual/romantic relationships for females. Youthsʹ sexual safety profiles have practice implications for sexuality educators, health care professionals, and parents.