Eric Layland

Assistant Professor University of Delaware

  • Newark DE

Prof. Layland bridges LGBTQ+ developmental research to community impact.

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Biography

Dr. Eric K. Layland is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences with a joint appointment in the School of Education at the University of Delaware where he bridges LGBTQ+ developmental research to community impact through developmentally-informed, affirmative interventions. His research areas include LGBTQ+ within-group differences in mental health and unhealthy substance use, the impact of stigma on LGBTQ+ development, strengths-based approaches to LGBTQ+ health, and LGBTQ+ affirmative interventions. Across all areas of research, Dr. Layland uses advanced and innovative analytical methods to reflect intersecting systems of oppression that shape LGBTQ development across the life course.

Through community partnerships and funding support from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Layland has led and collaborated on several intervention evaluations including investigation of underage drinking prevention among college students (LateNight Penn State), school-based substance use and HIV prevention among adolescents (HealthWise South Africa), and LGBTQ+ affirmative therapy for adolescents and young adults (EQuIP). Currently, he continues to collaborate with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on the NIDA-funded Healthy Young Men’s Cohort study to model the impact of intersecting stigma on health disparities and development of Black and Latinx sexual minority young men.

His research has been published in Prevention Science, Social Science and Medicine, LGBT Health, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Translational Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Journal of Positive Psychology, and the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.

Areas of Expertise

LGBTQ+ Developmental Research
Health Disparities
Health Equity
Quantitative Research
LGBTQ+ Advocacy
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy

Media Appearances

Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth

UDaily  online

2024-06-26

In a first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, University of Delaware assistant professor Eric Layland and his co-authors investigated how discriminatory laws and policies affected the developmental milestones of more than 100,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adolescents and adults across 28 European countries.

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Health Disparities in Stigmatized Communities: A Look at the Evidence on the Relationship Between Multidimensional Stigma and Health Outcomes and Interventions [...]

Evidence for Education by University of Delaware's Partnership for Public Education  online

2024-05-06

On this episode of the E4E podcast, we catch up with Dr. Eric K. Layland, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. Eric works in LGBTQ+ developmental research, bridging his research to community impact through developmentally-informed, affirmative interventions.

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Marginalized high school students are avoiding college for mental health reasons

Technical.ly  online

2024-02-26

“Mental health issues and suicide ideation are higher among LGBTQ teens and young adults compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers, so this issue of elevated mental health being a challenge for LGBTQ young people is not a new issue for folks who work with LGBTQ youth,” Layland told Technical.ly.

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Articles

LGBTQ+ Youth Identity Disclosure Processes: A Systematic Review

Adolescent Research Review

2024

Disclosure, as a complex social process, profoundly influences the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. This study, guided by the disclosure process model, systematically reviews and synthesizes LGBTQ+ youth disclosure literature, considering it as a developmental, multi-component process across various contexts. After screening 5,433 articles, 29 studies were identified, focusing on identity-disclosure processes among LGBTQ+ youth aged 26 or younger. These studies were scrutinized for disclosure process components, individual and contextual factors shaping disclosure, and potential bias.

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Beyond “not my type”: A quantitative examination of intraminority stigma among gay men who use dating apps.

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

2024

Gay men with intersecting diverse identities are at increased risk for experiencing intraminority stigma (ie, negative attitudes or discrimination from the gay community based on a socially undervalued identity or trait). The use of dating apps is pervasive among gay men and becoming more common during the ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic, representing a potential site for intraminority stigma. In this study, the association between online dating and experiences of stigma within the gay community was examined utilizing an international sample of 2,159 gay men through the lens of intraminority gay community stress theory.

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The Public Health Crisis State of Transgender Health Care and Policy

American Journal of Public Health

2024

The rise of antitransgender legislation in the United States 1 has reached unprecedented levels. At the time of writing (October 2023), there were 574 bill proposals explicitly directed at transgender populations in 49 US states, of which 83 have been signed into law. 1 These bills aim to restrict the rights and freedoms of transgender persons, particularly children and adolescents, in areas of health care and society such as employment, education, sports, and public facilities, effectively excluding transgender persons from participating in civic life.

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Research Grants

Parent capacity for fostering LGBTQ socialization

General University Research award, University of Delaware

2023-2025

Evaluating the transition to telehealth services: Exploring the needs and experiences of LGBTQ+ clients engaged in community care

Yale Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies

2021-2022

Young men of color who have sex with men cohort study

National Institute on Drugs and Addiction

2016-2026.

Accomplishments

Outstanding Dissertation Award, Society for Behavioral Medicine

2021

Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies Research Award, Yale University

2020

Yale AIDS Prevention Training Fellowship, National Institute of Mental Health

2020-2022

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Education

The Pennsylvania State University

PhD

Human Development and Family Studies

2020

The Pennsylvania State University

MS

Human Development and Family Studies,

2018

Brigham Young University

MS

Youth & Family Recreation

2013

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Affiliations

  • Society for Adolescent Research
  • Delaware Public Health Association
  • American Psychological Association
  • Society for Behavioral Medicine

Event Appearances

The who and how of LGBTQIA+ Socialization: Queering understanding of family socialization by including chosen family and family of origin

(2024) National Conference on Family Relations  Bellevue, WA

Queer joy across the globe: Links with LGBTQIA+ wellbeing and flourishing

(2024) Presented at the 58th Annual Convention for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies  Philadelphia, PA

How does experiencing sexual racism predict cannabis use disorder symptoms? A mediating pathway through anxiety that diminishes with age

(2024) National LGBTQ Health Conference  Atlanta, GA

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