SynthesisAddiction (Abingdon, England)2026
A meta-analysis of sexual orientation inequities in substance use among youth.
Synthesis in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A meta-analysis of sexual orientation inequities in substance use among youth.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Adolescent Substance Use Screening in the Emergency Department.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2026Review
- Commentary on Mereish et al.: Supporting sexually diverse youth requires a full spectrum understanding of substance use.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsSexual minority youth report significantly higher rates of substance use than heterosexual youth, yet a comprehensive and systematic evaluation and synthesis of the magnitude of this inequity has not been conducted. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the magnitude of overall inequities in substance use between sexual minority and heterosexual youth and examine demographic and methodological moderating factors that might impact variability in substance use patterns.
methodsA meta-analysis of studies that examined sexual orientation inequities in substance use. We conducted a comprehensive literature search across four electronic databases (PubMed, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, ProQuest; January 2008-July 2024). Studies were eligible if they included a youth participant population (mean sample age of 25 years or younger), examined differences in substance use between sexual minority and heterosexual groups, and published between 2008 and 2024 in English. Primary outcomes were any measures of substance use; secondary outcome was age of substance use initiation. Following PRISMA guidelines, reviewers independently reviewed and extracted data. Analyses employed random-effects models, with robust variance estimation to account for dependency among multiple effect sizes within studies. Analyses examined continuous and dichotomous outcomes separately. Bivariate meta-regression examined moderators.
resultsAmong 304 studies of 5 928 282 youth, sexual minority youth reported greater quantity and frequency of all assessed substances (i.e. alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, prescription drugs, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, meth/amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, heroin, and other substances) and engaged in more polysubstance use than heterosexual youth. For continuous outcomes, Hedges' g ranged from 0.10 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05-0.15, I
conclusionsSexual minority youth - particularly those who are plurisexual, sexual minority girls and young women, and adolescents 18 years of age or younger - appear to engage in substance use at higher rates than heterosexual youth.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.