127-131 Saewyc

at least among some urban populations.7 A third hypothesis is based on the stages of an adolescent’s acquisition of lesbian or bisexual identity. “Heterosexual immersion” may be one strategy for responding to the identity confusion stage of development: “Some adolescents establish heterosexual involvements in hopes of ‘curing’ themselves of their homosexual interests....In some cases, an adolescent girl may purposely become pregnant to prove that she isn’t lesbian.”8 Researchers have echoed this proposition on the basis of both their own investigations and their clinical experience.9 Yet another hypothesis considers social stigma and the risks associated with coming out. A review of the literature and discussion of clinical experience reported that gay, lesbian and bisexual teenagers who reveal their sexual orientation to others often are rejected or abused by family and friends.10 These teenagers are more likely than their heterosexual peers to drop out of school and run away from or be forced out of their homes. As with most homeless youth, their principal method Elizabeth M. Saewyc is manager of clinical services, School of Nursing and Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Linda H. Bearinger is associate professor, School of Nursing; Robert Wm. Blum is professor and director, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, School of Medicine; and Michael D. Resnick is professor, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, School of Medicine—all at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. A preliminary analysis of these data was presented as a poster exhibit at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, Vancouver, Canada, Mar. 23, 1995. This study was supported in part by grants MCJ279185 and MCJ00985 from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. The authors thank Blake Downes for technical assistance. Sexual Intercourse, Abuse and Pregnancy Among Adolescent Women: Does Sexual Orientation Make a Difference?