Experiences of Stigma and Risk Behaviors Study

The AHS III has been included in an international study exploring enacted stigma and its link to drug abuse and risky sexual behaviours. Under the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc at the University of British Columbia and McCreary Centre Society, and Dr. Carol Skay at the University of Minnesota, this study is taking place in 3 different countries: Canada, New Zealand, and the US. The 5-year study, which began in October 2004, is funded by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, USA, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, BC, Canada.

Certain teens are stigmatized in their communities and schools, and as a result, these youth seem to be at greater risk for health problems such as drug abuse, HIV and other STDs, and teen pregnancy. The purpose of the study is to explore the behaviors and environments in schools that target teens and tell them they are stigmatized, in three separate ethnic groups that are found in each country: indigenous youth, Asian-heritage youth, and European-heritage youth. While the study focuses on gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens as the primary stigmatized group, other stigmatized youth, such as obese teens, and those with visible physical disabilities, will also be studied. The research teams in the 3 countries will also explore protective factors in the school and community that might reduce these risks for stigmatized teens. Results from each country will be compared to those of the same ethnic group in the other countries—for example, the experiences of stigmatized Aboriginal youth in Canada will be compared to those of American Indian youth in the USA, and Maori youth in New Zealand, to see if there are similar or different patterns of experiences and coping.

The findings then will be brought to community groups of teens and youth workers in the 3 countries, to help put the research in the context of their lives, and to tap their ideas on how to reduce stigma, create safer schools, and prevent substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors in culturally meaningful ways. These findings will help us understand the role of stigma as well as protective factors in the lives of teens, help us create interventions to help youth cope with stigma, and foster healthy adolescent development among vulnerable young people in BC and beyond.