Strategies for Schools to Prevent Psychosocial Stress, Stigma, and Suicidality Risks among LGBTQ+ Students

Abstract

As key centers for adolescent development, schools present sites for intervention ensuring the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) students. Given mounting evidence on the association between LGBTQ+ identities, negative school climates, and disparities in mental health and suicidality, schools must maintain inclusive environments. This review focuses on strategies for schools to emerge as gateways to improved mental health and resilience among LGBTQ+ students. This study provides clear recommendations, including supporting anti-bullying policies, LGBTQ+-inclusive curricula, and safe spaces, for counselors, educators, school policy makers, and other stakeholders in school ecosystems to intervene professionally on behalf of LGBTQ+ students. The implications of this study help school counselors to be catalysts moving schools to better serve LGBTQ+ students.

Sex‐positive criminology: Possibilities for legal and social change

“…For example, in the United States, seven states require that sex educators present "homosexuality" as negative; these "no promo homo" laws impact nearly 10 million public school students (GLSEN, 2018, p. 2). While stigma and exclusive learning environments contribute to higher rates of suicide for trans and queer youth, sex education that affirms LGBTQ identities and includes LGBTQ youth can save lives (Madireddy & Madireddy, 2020). Moreover, as activist Dominique Morgan contends, "Comprehensive sexuality education [CSE] is one of the most versatile power activation tools I've ever seen.…”

Diversity management to reduce stereotypes and discrimination in society

“…The bill "Life partners" can be mentioned as the last one, the most widely discussed in Latvian society. The purpose of the bill is to recognize the legal protection of unmarried couples, including protection for same-sex relationships (Dzīvesbiedri, 2019). In 2019, this draft law was rejected in the Saeima, only on December 10, 2021, did the Supreme Court passed a verdict in the case in which it was determined that same-sex partnerships should be registered as marital status, and also determined that same-sex partnerships can be recognized as family.…”

A Clash of Sexual Gender Norms and Understandings: A Qualitative Study of Homosexual, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Adolescents’ Experiences in Junior High Schools

“…The mental health of adolescents that are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) has been the focus of many studies from Western societies during the past 20 years, and suggestions have been made on how to improve the adolescents' well-being (Madireddy & Madireddy, 2020;Russell & Fish, 2016;Taylor, 2019). Adolescence is considered as the end period of the individual's development from child to adult, and often the adolescents struggle to establish their identity, including their sexual and gender identity (Erikson & Erikson, 1998).…”

“…This can represent a potential threat with regard to their identity development (Adegboyega et al, 2019) and mental health (Russell & Fish, 2016; The Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, 2010; Williams, 2017). Internationally, research focuses on the situation for LGBTQ adolescents in high school or college (Madireddy & Madireddy, 2020), but little to our knowledge that the situation in the junior high environment. Within the Swedish context, every fifth person in the group of 16- to 25-year-old individuals who are homo- or bisexual report experiences of physical abuse by a parent, partner, or other close adult; a figure that was twice as big as compared with non homo- or bisexual persons in the same age group.…”