Eric Layland
Assistant Professor | University of Delaware
Newark, DE, UNITED STATES
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 (6)
LGBTQ+ Developmental Research
Health Disparities
Health Equity
Quantitative Research
LGBTQ+ Advocacy
LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy
Media Appearances (5)
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.
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.
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.
Students cite mental health struggles as they opt out of college, especially students from LGBTQ+ and marginalized communities
WHYY Public Radio online
2024-02-22
Eric Layland, a researcher and assistant professor in the department of human development and family sciences at the University of Delaware, concurs with the research findings, noting deeper stressors within the LGBTQ+ student community.
Bisexuality as a ‘superpower’: Delaware advocates share stories, challenges, and triumphs
WHYY Public Radio online
2023-09-22
For instance, sexuality is often seen as more rigid and narrow for men, whereas women are more accepted as being fluid and flexible, according to Eric Layland, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware.
Articles (5)
LGBTQ+ Youth Identity Disclosure Processes: A Systematic Review
Adolescent Research Review2024 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.
Beyond “not my type”: A quantitative examination of intraminority stigma among gay men who use dating apps.
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity2024 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.
The Public Health Crisis State of Transgender Health Care and Policy
American Journal of Public Health2024 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.
Co-occurring mental health and drug use experiences among Black and Hispanic/Latino sexual and gender diverse individuals
Journal of Behavioral Medicine2023 Black and Hispanic/Latino sexual and gender diverse individuals disproportionately experience overlapping health disparities, such as drug use and elevated depressive symptoms, which are often driven by minority stressors. We sought to better understand the interaction between drug use and mental health, as it may be fruitful in developing effective interventions to address co-occurring health disparities. In a longitudinal, 5-wave sample of 300 Black and Hispanic/Latino sexual and gender diverse (SGD) individuals collected between March 2020 and March 2022, we found a within-person association between greater than average levels of psychological distress (depression and anxiety) and more frequent extra-medical use of cannabis, inhalants, methamphetamines, and opioids over the span of two years.
Kept in the closet: Structural stigma and the timing of sexual minority developmental milestones across 28 European countries
Journal of Youth and Adolescence2023 Structural stigma’s role in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people’s attainment of identity development milestones remains unknown. In a sample of 111,498 LGB people (ages 15 to 65+) living across 28 European countries, associations were investigated between structural stigma measured using an objective index of discriminatory country-level laws and policies affecting LGB people and the timing and pacing of LGB self-awareness, coming out, and closet duration, and subgroup differences in these associations. On average, self-awareness occurred at age 14.8 years old (SD = 5.1), coming out occurred at 18.5 years old (SD = 5.7), and the closet was 3.9 years long (SD = 4.9); thereby highlighting adolescence as a key period for sexual identity development and disclosure.
Research Grants (3)
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 (4)
Outstanding Dissertation Award, Society for Behavioral Medicine (professional)
2021
Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies Research Award, Yale University (professional)
2020
Yale AIDS Prevention Training Fellowship, National Institute of Mental Health (professional)
2020-2022
LGBTQA Alumni Interest Group Award, The Pennsylvania State University (professional)
2019
Education (4)
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
Brigham Young University: BS, Recreation Management and Youth Leadership 2011
Affiliations (4)
- Society for Adolescent Research
- Delaware Public Health Association
- American Psychological Association
- Society for Behavioral Medicine
Links (2)
Event Appearances (5)
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
Introducing the Queer Adolescent Coping Inventory (QACI): Construct validity and evidence of protective effect on mental health
(2024) National LGBTQ Health Conference Atlanta, GA
Longitudinal associations between dating app use, sexual racism, and mental health among Black and Latinx gay and bisexual men: The protective roles of general social support and identity-[...]
(2024) National LGBTQ Health Conference Atlanta, GA
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