Lisa L. Lindley, DrPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101, 270-745-5870, lisa.lindley@wku.edu, Richard W. Wilson, DHSc, MPH, Department of Public Health, Western Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, 1 Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576, and Molly B. Kerby, MPH, Public Health, Western Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, One Big Red Way, Bowling Green, KY 42101-3576.

Previous research has documented that young people who identify as lesbian or gay often experience verbal and/or physical violence in the home and/or are “kicked out” or asked to leave home by one or both parents because of their sexual orientation. With regard to parent supportiveness of their child’s sexual orientation/identity less has been studied. Moreover, little has been studied regarding violence in the home among lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) youth who go to college. During the 2001-2002 academic year, the National LGBT College Student Survey was conducted to examine the health risk behaviors and developmental assets, including caring and support of parents, among self-identified LGBT college students. The LGBT college student survey was the first Internet survey designed to examine the health of these students on a national level. Participation in the survey was solicited from 135 LGBT college student organizations and resource centers across the United States. A total of 450 LGBT college students completed the entire online survey. This session will examine caring and support of LGBT college students’ primary parents, whether students were “out” to their parent(s), the extent to which students were verbally harassed and/or physically harmed by their parent(s), and whether students were ever asked to leave home because of their sexual orientation/identity. Associations between caring and support versus violence in the home were examined and compared based on LGBT college students’ (sex, age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender atypicality) and parents’(sex, education, religiosity, and political ideology) characteristics.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to

• Identify level of caring and support among mothers and/or fathers of LGBT college students.
• Identify level of verbal and/or physical abuse inflicted by one or both primary parents on self-identified LGBT college students.
• Identify whether certain LGBT college students were more or less likely to experience verbal and/or physical abuse in the home.
• Identify whether parents' sex, level of education, religiosity, and/or political ideology were associated with supportiveness and/or abusiveness.

Keywords: Family Violence, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.