Researchers looked at the participants’ employment, housing situation, emotional state and demographic background to identify which behaviors in the decision-making process related to drug use among young men who have sex with men. We need to build a better environment and give them better tools to make it through.” “We need to treat our children, our teens, better. “While the message of ‘it gets better’ is an important one, it shouldn’t have to get better,” Traube said.
The issue of growing up gay recently has received more attention because of a series of suicides that made national news and sparked a campaign called “It Gets Better,” which features videos telling gay teens that life will be better when they reach adulthood. Homelessness, discrimination and low self-confidence often go hand in hand with substance abuse in this population, the study found. Their judgment is clouded, making their problem-solving more difficult.” “In the case of young men who have sex with men, you are adding even more volatility.
“Adolescence, when you have the bulk of development, is normally an incredibly vulnerable time,” said Traube, the lead author. In a new study published in the Psychology of Addictive Behavior, Traube looks at the building blocks of why young gay men are more prone to drug and alcohol use. USC School of Social Work professor Dorian Traube has built upon current studies showing that young men who have sex with men are more likely to participate in dangerous behavior such as drug use and unprotected sex.