Utilizing data from the 2007 administration of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey in the two largest school districts in Boulder County, Colorado, this study examined the relationship between sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and adult support to youth risk behaviors. Central to this investigation was an environmental scan of school district policies, school programs, and other factors of the school environment that may help augment positive identities for high school students.

Of the 2,408 participants (48.5% female and 51.5% male), ages ranged from 12- to 18-years-old with the majority (95.3%) between the ages of 14 and 17. Univariate Analyses of Variance revealed that bisexual youth were more at risk to experience harassment, feel sad/hopeless, and for using tobacco and drugs than their sexual minority and straight peers. Hispanic youth were more at risk for suicidal ideation and attempts and for using alcohol than other racial/ethnic minority groups. Results also indicate that supportive adults in the school environment help to reduce the impact of negative experiences youth have during high school. Specifically, youth who had an adult to talk to at school experienced less harassment and violence and engaged in less drug use than their peers without that support.

This study contributes to the extant literature by examining risk behaviors across sexual orientation groups (heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual, not sure, none of the above) as few studies have disaggregated sexual orientation groups to examine potential differences. Additionally, this is one of the few studies investigating adolescent risk behaviors and the interaction between race/ethnicity and sexual orientation. The findings have implications for school districts and school professionals (e.g., counselors, school psychologists, teachers, administrators, and nurses) who work with students from diverse and multicultural backgrounds.