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Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents in Canada and globally. The purpose of our study was to calculate what proportion of adolescent suicide attempts could be prevented in the absence of verbal, physical, and sexual violence. Using the province-wide 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey ( N = 29,315) we calculated population-attributable fractions for each type of violence, as well as exposure to any violence, separately by gender, among adolescents age 12-19. We found violence victimization is implicated in the majority of suicide attempts. Focusing on violence prevention may be an important strategy for reducing suicide among young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between substance use and sexual orientation among Asian adolescents in Canada. We analyzed an East- and Southeast-Asian subsample of a province-wide, school-based survey (weighted N = 51,349). Compared to heterosexual adolescents of the same gender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and mostly heterosexual adolescents were more likely to use alcohol, marijuana, or other illicit drugs. Particularly, sexual minority girls were at increased risk for substance use. The findings suggest the need for substance use prevention interventions that are sensitive to gender, sexual orientation, and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined enacted stigma and problem substance use among Asian sexual minority youth and the buffering role of protective factors. Logistic regression analyses of a weighted sample of 5,423 Asian youth who completed the 2003 BC Adolescent Health Survey indicated that sexual minority youth were more likely to be victimized compared to heterosexual peers. Furthermore, protective factors, such as involvement in extracurricular activities or healthy connections to peers or school, reduced the likelihood of problem substance use, even among stigmatized youth. The study highlights the need to create safe, supportive school and community environments for Asian sexual minority adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To document the prevalence of susceptibility to smoking among a sample of White/Caucasian and Chinese Canadian adolescent nonsmokers, and to explore the factors that might explain who is susceptible to smoking., Design: This study used a secondary analysis of data from students participating in the British Columbia Youth Survey on Smoking and Health in 2001/2002., Sample: The sample included 1,870 10th and 11th graders who were nonsmokers with either a White or a Chinese ethnic background., Measurements: Questionnaire data consisted of demographic and social factors, previous smoking experience, and susceptibility to smoking., Results: Among the total sample, 27.7% were susceptible to smoking. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that 11th graders were less susceptible than 10th graders (odds ratio [OR]=0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-0.99), and girls were more susceptible than boys (OR=1.32, 95% CI 1.05-1.65). Ethnicity did not help to explain susceptibility to smoking in this study., Conclusions: The findings indicated the effects of gender and grade on predicting susceptibility to smoking. Even though the Chinese Canadian adolescents had the same risk of susceptibility to smoking as White/Caucasians, the factors that put them at risk may be different, which suggests the need to further examine the ethnic-specific predictors of susceptibility to smoking.