Intersectional Disparities in Runaway and Thrownaway Experiences Among Youth by Sexual Minority Status and Race/Ethnicity

IntroductionIt is well-documented that sexual minority youth are at a higher risk of experiencing being thrown away and running away from their parental home, the two main pathways to youth homelessness. These challenges are often related to family rejection and strained child-parent relationships. However, little knowledge exists of how sexual minority status intersect with race/ethnicity in this context.MethodsThe study utilized data from Wave III (2001-2002) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) (1994-2018) with a sample size of 14,181 survey participants to examine the effects of sexual minority status and race/ethnicity on the experience of youth being ordered to move out and running away from one's parental home.ResultsA series of regression analyses revealed that sexual minority youth were more likely to experience being thrown away and running away from their parental home. Furthermore, the findings showed significant intersectional disparities from sexual minority status and Black race in experiences of being thrown away and running away even after controlling for various sociodemographic, family circumstances, and other risk factors. Black sexual minority youth faced heightened risks of parental home displacement, indicating increased vulnerability within sexual minority youth.ConclusionsThe study provides the first large-scale, nationally representative population-based evidence for the unique risk that Black sexual minority youth are facing with respect to the two pathways to youth homelessness.Policy ImplicationsFamilies with sexual minority youth and youth experiencing homelessness may benefit from racially/ethnically specific and sexuality-specific interventions.