Sexual identity, same-sex partners and risk behaviour among a community-based sample of young people in Australia

•We investigated gay/lesbian/bisexual/queer/questioning identity among young people.•9% of males and 11% of females reported a GLBQQ-identity.•Discordance between identity and behaviour was relatively common.•GLBQQ-identity was associated with recent drug use, injecting drug use, higher number of sex partners, and poor mental health.•Health initiatives should account for the complexities of identity and behaviour.

BackgroundYoung people who are same-sex attracted report higher rates of substance use, sexual risk behaviour, and mental health problems. Numerous studies have shown that sexual identity, sexual behaviour and sexual attraction do not always correspond, particularly among young people. We describe sexual identity, sexual partners, and associations between sexual identity and risk in a community-based sample of young people.MethodsFrom 2011 to 2013, young people (16–29 years) were recruited at a music festival in Melbourne, Australia to self-complete a questionnaire. We describe sexual identity and gender of anal/vaginal sex partners in the past year. Secondly, we assess associations between risk behaviours, health outcomes and gay/lesbian/bisexual/queer/questioning (GLBQQ)-identity using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsAmong 3793 (91%) participants with complete data, 115 (9%) males and 266 (11%) females were GLBQQ-identifying.Among GLBQQ-identifying males, 23% reported only same-sex partners, 34% reported both sex partners, 26% reported only opposite-sex partners, 5% reported no sex partners in the past year, and 12% had never had sex.Among GLBQQ-identifying females, 10% reported only same-sex partners, 22% reported both sex partners, 48% reported only opposite-sex partners, 3% reported no sex partners in the past year, and 17% had never had sex.Controlling for age and sex, significant (p < 0.05) associations with GLBQQ-identity included: recent drug use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.7, 95%CI 1.3–2.2); ever injected drugs (AOR 5.7, 95%CI 3.3–9.7); young age at first sex (AOR 1.8, 95%CI 1.3–2.3); ≥11 lifetime sex partners (AOR 1.5, 95%CI 1.1–2.0); multiple sex partners in the past year (AOR 1.9, 95%CI 1.5–2.5); and rating mental health as fair/poor (AOR 3.0, 95%CI 1.9–4.6).ConclusionYoung people with GLBQQ-identity commonly engage in high risk behaviours and are more at risk relative to their heterosexual-identifying peers. Targeted interventions to promote the health and wellbeing of this group should account for the complexities of identity and behaviour.