Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains x, 174 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009. / "Publication number: AAT 3381574."

Thesis (M.A.)--Dalhousie University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-85).

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Research addressing the concerns of bisexually attracted youth has markedly increased in the past few years, yet remains limited in comparison to that addressing the issues of lesbian and gay youth (Brewster & Moradi, 2010). Those few studies treating bisexual participants as distinct from lesbian and gay participants have findings indicating that some youth who identify as bisexual experience higher rates of depression, pregnancy, substance abuse, suicidal ideations, and suicide attempts compared to their lesbian and gay peers (Kennedy & Fisher, 2010; Lewis, Derlega, Brown, Rose, & Henson, 2009; Saewyc, Homma, Skay, Bearinger, Resnick, & Reis, 2009). Most commonly, however, research studies examine all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer participants as one group, and little is known about the ways in which these distinct groups differ. Biphobia, defined as the aversion felt toward bisexuality and bisexuals as a social group or as individuals, contributes to barriers in addressing this gap. The primary objective of this study was to gain an understanding of how the participants recalled their social interactions and how they made sense of them. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten young people who were bisexually attracted when they were of high school age. Results were analyzed and discussed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. Analyses of these accounts revealed the ways these young people made sense of feeling dismissed, isolated, invisible, and unsafe in their environments and the ways they used their observations to control future interactions. The participants discussed their experiences with coming out to family members and friends and the strain of choosing to hide their attractions to more than one gender. These findings indicate the need for services offering specific supports and interventions for bisexually attracted youth. Social workers, youth workers, and educators can best serve this population by acknowledging the uniqueness of their experiences. Future research, focused on group specific concerns, could close the existing gap in the knowledge base.

Adolescence is a challenging life period in which young people have to deal with both physical and mental changes. For gay, bisexual and questioning (BGQ) youth, the challenges in their adolescents could be tougher. Previous research has demonstrated the unique psychosocial and sexual health needs of this vulnerable sub-group of the youth population. However, most of these studies were conducted in the West. Local data has been far from enough for us to understand the lives and health needs of Hong Kong GBQ youth, who have been affected by a different set of cultural values and social situations. This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the lives of and the factors affecting the health of GBQ youth in Hong Kong. Both focus groups and individual interviews were used. Data analysis was guided by the principle of grounded theory. Twenty sexual minority male youth aged between 15 and 21 were recruited in the study. It appeared that the discovery of sexual identities for Hong Kong GBQ youth usually began in the early adolescence and was usually followed by a stage of struggle and denial of same-sex attraction. Traditional Chinese family values and mainstream Christianity doctrine heavily influenced on the informants’ and others’ acceptance towards homosexuality. GBQ youth also encountered different forms of prejudicial events in practically all social situations which in turn affected their psychosocial wellbeing and sexual health. Furthermore, parents, school professionals and healthcare workers seemed to lack appropriate skills and attitudes to promote GBQ youth’s health. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 270-274).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 90).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 270-274).