Sexual minority youth (SMY, i.e., lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals between the ages of 13–17) report increased rates of mental health concerns in comparison with heterosexual youth. However, there is a shortage of empirically supported treatments for SMY, as commonly administered interventions are understudied for minority communities. A systematic review of intervention literature was performed, consisting of 820 articles published through May 2017 that reported on intervention with SMY. After reviewing abstracts, 58 articles were included in 2 rounds of coding, with 8 articles providing quantitative pre- and post-treatment data with SMY that were not case studies, qualitatively based, and/or only containing general recommendations. In-person, computerized, and online interventions were all found to be effective modes of intervention for SMY, including individual and group approaches for various health concerns. Furthermore, treatments that were specifically modified for SMY with SMY-trained facilitators, and treatments with no SMY modifications or training, reported significant results. Generally, building resilience and encouraging identity acceptance were core to many of the interventions. Future research should expand on the interventions included in this review, with larger samples, comparison groups, and follow-up data. Although quantitative, empirically based intervention research regarding SMY is limited, important findings are discussed that inform recommendations for practicing clinicians and researchers.
Few studies have examined the mental health of clinical psychology doctoral students, a unique group given their education and training in psychopathology, assessment, and intervention. Students (N = 912) completed an online survey assessing demographics, mental health, mental healthcare utilization, and barriers to care during graduate school. Nearly 25% of participants reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, 20% reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression or suicidal intent (SI), and more than 10% reported a high risk of alcohol abuse or moderate to severe drug use during graduate school. In comparison to peers, ethnic minority and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) participants reported more symptoms of depression and SI. LGBTQ+ participants reported more nonsuicidal self-injury and drug use. Participants also experienced significant barriers to receiving mental healthcare (e.g., financial difficulties, limited availability, insufficient time). Leadership is encouraged to prioritize the mental health of clinical psychology doctoral students, which may have implications on their service provision.
The current study utilized the 2018 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey to explore the relations among school district political attitudes, bullying experiences, and mental health outcomes, particularly for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students. Although bullying was associated with greater psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, and suicidality) for all students, LGBTQ+ students experienced more bullying and psychological distress. Bullying experiences mediated the relation between LGBTQ+ identity and psychological distress. However, school district voting record moderated the relation between LGBTQ+ identity and bullying, such that LGBTQ+ students in more conservative districts, or districts with more votes for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, experienced more bullying, which was associated with greater psychological distress. Additionally, increased teacher intervention during instances of bullying was related to less bullying for LGBTQ+ students. Finally, in more conservative‐leaning districts, LGBTQ+ students reported less teacher intervention, which was associated with more bullying and psychological distress. Given that political conservatism was related to higher rates of bullying and poorer mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ students, we recommend improving school‐based LGBTQ+ bullying policies to prioritize the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth.
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