How adultism mediates family safety and material security for LGBTQ+ and/or racialized youth

This study examines whether adultism (youth oppression) mediated the effects of racialized and LGBTQ+ social location on family safety and material security among 702 youth ages 16–21 living in three cities: Melbourne, Australia, New York City (NYC), USA, and Toronto, Canada. Using a serial multiple mediation model, we find that LGBTQ+ participants experienced adultism at higher rates on average, contributing to lower family safety and, in turn, lower material security, after accounting for relevant covariates. Although the effect of race through adultism was not significant, being LGBTQ+ and racialized (vs. LGBTQ+ and white) was directly associated with lower family safety before controlling for subjective socioeconomic status. We discuss study limitations and the implications of these findings for future research.