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September 5, 2026Israel Journal of Health Policy ResearchOpen Access

Latent profiles of mental health and care barriers among heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents

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Authors

AGAteret Gewirtz‐MeydanRBRuth BerkowitzSMShir Maoz

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Overview

Cross-sectional study uncovers distinct risk profiles and care barriers in adolescents, highlighting how sexual orientation moderates help-seeking intentions.

Key Points

  • To identify distinct profiles of mental health risk and substance use among adolescents, evaluate their perceived barriers to care, and determine whether sexual minority status moderates help-seeking intentions.
  • Surveyed 1,129 Israeli adolescents aged 16–18 (M = 17.42, SD = 1.03; 30% sexual minorities) on mental health, substance use, suicidal ideation, and perceived care barriers.
  • Applied latent profile analysis (LPA) to define risk groups and exploratory graph analysis (EGA) to map barrier dimensions, followed by moderation analyses.
  • Identified four distinct mental health profiles: Within Normal Ranges, Emotional Struggles and Suicidal Ideation, Tobacco and E-cigarette Users, and Cannabis Users.
  • Classified perceived care barriers into three latent domains: Identity-Related Barriers, Accessibility and Structural Barriers, and Emotional and Internal Barriers.
  • Higher-risk profiles reported greater barriers and lower help-seeking intentions, with sexual orientation moderating outcomes via decreased intentions among tobacco/e-cigarette users and increased intentions among cannabis users.

Cite This Study

Gewirtz‐Meydan et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9bd4346b95aff0620ebae0https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-026-00781-0
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Differences in Substance Use and Mental Health by Sexual Identity Among U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults2026 · 1 citations
  2. 2Factors That Impact Sexual Minority Adolescents' Mental Health and Possible Protective Measures2024 · 1 citations
  3. 3An examination of sociodemographic and clinical factors influencing help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among adolescents with mental health problems2024 · 10 citations
  4. 4Mapping the role of sexuality in adolescent mental health and substance use2024 · 2 citations
  5. 5Examining suicide risk in sexual and gender minority youth: A descriptive observational study on depressive symptoms, social support and self‐esteem2024 · 3 citations