Supporting Sexual Minority Youth: Protective Factors of Adverse Health Outcomes and Implications for Public Health

Protective Associations between Supportive Environment and Suicidality among Minority and Majority Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between supportive environments and adolescent suicidal behavior, especially among marginalized minority groups.

METHODS

Participants included 12,196 middle and 16,981 high school students who completed the 2019 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association between three protective factors that were part of a supportive environment (feeling like they matter to people in their community, usually eating dinner at home, having a trusted adult) and suicidality (plan or attempt), controlling for key demographics (sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and race/ethnicity). Moderating effects of demographics were also explored.

RESULTS

All supportive environment variables were protective of making a suicide plan and making a suicide attempt (ORs < 0.75, p-values < 0.005). Students of minority identities were significantly more likely to make a suicide plan (middle school ORs: 1.34-3.51, p-values < 0.0005; high school ORs: 1.19-3.38, p-values < 0.02) and attempt suicide (middle school ORs: 1.42-3.72, p-values < 0.006; high school ORs: 1.38-3.25, p-values < 0.0005) compared to students with majority demographic characteristics. Generally, the associations between having a supportive environment and suicidality did not vary within sexual orientation, gender identify, or race/ethnicity subgroups, suggesting that these supportive environment factors were more universally protective. However, a few associations were stronger among students in the majority demographic groups.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that having a supportive environment is protective of suicidality for adolescents from both majority and minority demographic groups.

Between Resilience and Agency: A Systematic Review of Protective Factors and Positive Experiences of LGBTQ+ Students

A negative school climate resulting from homophobic and transphobic bias and discrimination is associated with poor well-being and mental health among LGBTQ+ youth. However, protective factors and mechanisms may buffer against the impact of stigmatization. Drawing on the socio-ecological model, minority stress theory, and positive youth development and agency perspectives, we carried out a systematic review of research focusing on factors that can promote the well-being of LGBTQ+ students in educational settings, outlining the primary outcomes from studies published between 2012 and 2022. The PRISMA protocol was used for this review, and 64 articles were scrutinized. The results of the thematic analysis revealed that both external factors (school-inclusive policies and extracurricular activities; social support from school, family, and the community; and school connectedness) and internal factors (psychosocial characteristics and personal agency) promote positive school experiences, such as the exploration of sexual and gender identities in a safe environment. The present findings highlight the need for inclusive school policies and strategies and individual-level interventions that target the well-being and positive mental health outcomes of sexual and gender minority students.

Latent Class Analysis of Victimization Patterns and Associated Protective Factors among LGBTQ Youth

Youth victimization in schools remains a fervent public health issue, despite increased awareness of this issue, and this is especially true for marginalized populations like lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. Youth violence has been studied widely, but less research has sought to understand factors protective of violence victimization, particularly protective factors shared across multiple forms of violence. In the current study, we utilized latent class analysis to test patterns of three types of victimization: peer victimization (PV), homophobic name-calling victimization (HNCV), and sexual harassment victimization (SHV). In addition, we tested protective factors associated with experiencing these types of violence. Our sample included 4778 9-11th graders in the United States, of which about 15% identified as LGBTQ. Three unique classes of victimization emerged, suggesting that concurrent forms of violence occur among some groups of adolescents. LGBTQ youth were more likely to be members of classes which demonstrated higher levels of victimization. Consistent with previous literature, medical access, counseling access, family support, peer support, and spirituality emerged as significant protective factors associated with a lower risk of victimization. We discuss the implications of our findings with specific attention to protecting the wellbeing of SGM youth.