Socioeconomic Outcomes of Non-Heterosexual Youth Who Have Aged-out of Foster Care in California

Background and Purpose. Older youth in foster care are at risk for poor socioeconomic outcomes, such as educational and vocational challenges, housing instability, and dependence on public assistance. Despite a recent expansion in research on this population, few studies have focused on the outcomes of non-heterosexual youth (i.e., those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other non-heterosexual identities), particularly as they transition to adulthood. The current study aims to investigate whether non-heterosexual youth experience increased socioeconomic disadvantage in young adulthood as compared to their heterosexual peers.

Methods. We analyzed data from four waves of the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH), a representative sample of youth aged 16.75-17.75 who had been in California foster care for at least six months. Our sample included 509 youths with self-reported information on sexual preference at each of the four CalYOUTH waves (i.e., from age 17 to 23), as well as data on key socioeconomic outcomes at age 23. Based on their self-reported sexual preference, youth were coded either being non-heterosexual or straight/heterosexual. We compared non-heterosexual youth to those who identified as “100% heterosexual” on several outcomes measured at age 23: educational attainment (0=no certificate; 1=high school diploma/GED; 2=associate or bachelor’s degree), employment status (0=not employed; 1=employed full-time or part-time), economic hardship (e.g., inability to afford basic needs such as food or rent; coded 0=no hardships; 1=1-2 hardships; 2=3 or more hardships), and reported homelessness (including “couch surfing”; coded 0=no; 1=yes). We used logistic regression analyses to investigate the relationship between youths’ sexual preference and their socioeconomic outcomes, after accounting for demographic characteristics, foster care experiences, social support, and parenthood.

Results. About 47% of youth in our sample identified as non-heterosexual in at least one wave of data collection. non-heterosexual youth were predominantly female; however, they did not differ significantly from heterosexual youth on race or ethnicity. Bivariate comparisons revealed that non-heterosexual youth were similar to heterosexual peers on educational attainment, but were less likely to be employed at age 23 (54% vs. 68%, p=.002), and less likely to report no economic hardship during the past 12 months (43% vs. 61%, p<.001). Moreover, non-heterosexual youth were significantly more likely to experience homelessness than those identifying as heterosexual (44% vs. 27%, p<.001). Multivariate analyses revealed that identifying as non-heterosexual increased youths’ risk of homelessness (OR=2.47, p<.01), as well as their likelihood of experiencing three or more economic hardships in the past year (OR=2.93, p<.01). We did not find statistically significant differences in youths’ educational attainment and employment status at age 23.

Conclusions and Implications. Youth who identify as non-heterosexual were found to be at higher risk for certain challenges in young adulthood, such as housing instability and difficulty meeting basic needs. These differences persisted after controlling for an array of covariates. Given the limited amount of research focusing on non-heterosexual youth in foster care, this study makes an important contribution in understanding outcome disparities. Study limitations and implications for child welfare policy and practice will be discussed.