Etiology Beliefs About Sexual and Gender Minority Youth (EB-SGM): Validation with College Students, Community Adults, and Pediatric Healthcare Providers

Allison Schimmel-Bristow; Dianna M Boone; Wade C McDonald; Lendi N Joy; Sarah E Sobalvarro; Julianna Capobianco; Aubrianna Stuckey; Serena Wasilewski; Melissa Anne Faith

doi:10.1080/00918369.2023.2275300

Etiology Beliefs About Sexual and Gender Minority Youth (EB-SGM): Validation with College Students, Community Adults, and Pediatric Healthcare Providers

J Homosex. 2023 Dec 20:1-26. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2023.2275300. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center for Behavioral Health, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.
² North Texas Adolescent and Young Adult Psychology, PLLC, Plano, Texas, USA.
³ Department of Psychological Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

PMID: 38117910
DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2023.2275300

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are at risk for adverse health outcomes because of stigma and discrimination exposure. Individuals' beliefs about the biological origin of SGM identity are linked to their negative attitudes and biases against SGM populations, which can also apply to pediatric healthcare providers. The current study outlines validation of the Etiology Beliefs about Sexual and Gender Minority Youth (EB-SGM) scale, a 12-item measure designed to assess adults' beliefs about youths' biological versus environmental SGM etiology. College students (N = 285; study 1), community adults (N = 258; study 2), and pediatric providers (N = 104; study 3) completed the EB-SGM and other self-report measures. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in study 1 revealed a three-factor structure: beliefs about gender nonconforming behavior, beliefs about gender identity, and beliefs about sexual attraction/behavior. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in study 2 suggested a bi-factor structure, which was replicated in study 3. The EB-SGM demonstrated adequate concurrent and discriminant validity. We also examined bivariate correlations between etiology beliefs and sociodemographic characteristics across samples. Findings indicate that EB-SGM is a psychometrically sound instrument to measure adults' etiology beliefs. The EB-SGM has the potential to be used as a screening measure to enhance pediatric healthcare providers' SGM training.

Keywords: LGBTQ youth; Sexual and gender minority (SGM); adolescence; beliefs; etiology; pediatric healthcare; sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).