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Negative and Positive Factors Associated With the Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth
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Factors associated with the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth were qualitatively examined to better understand how these factors are experienced from the youths' perspectives. Largely recruited from LGBTQ youth groups, 68 youth participated in focus groups (n = 63) or individual interviews (n = 5). The sample included 50% male, 47% female, and 3% transgender participants. Researchers used a consensual methods approach to identify negative and positive factors across 8 domains. Negative factors were associated with families, schools, religious institutions, and community or neighborhood; positive factors were associated with the youth's own identity development, peer networks, and involvement in the LGBTQ community. These findings suggest a pervasiveness of negative experiences in multiple contexts, and the importance of fostering a positive LGBTQ identity and supportive peer/community networks. Efforts should work towards reducing and eliminating the prejudicial sentiments often present in the institutions and situations that LGBTQ youth encounter.
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... Learning is shaped by students' conscious and subconscious engagement with their educational experiences and environments (Ambrose et al., 2010;Kolb, 1984). In addition, it has been reported that building communities and networks outside of the immediate educational setting are important for the development of LGBTQ+ youth (Elliott-Engel et al., 2020;Higa et al., 2014). Further, adolescent development is known to undergo transitions alongside shifts in identities, particularly evident in sexual minority youth (Cohler & Hammack, 2007). ...
... The significance of SBAE activities beyond the local program should not be underestimated. These activities provide an opportunity for LGBTQ+ students to grow and interact with others like them and illustrate the importance of networks outside of the immediate educational settings (Elliott-Engel et al., 2020;Higa et al., 2014). Overall, the study highlighted the necessity of ongoing efforts to create inclusive, supportive, and diverse learning spaces in SBAE as well as other CTE programs. ...
Many teachers are ill-prepared to support LGBTQ+ students. School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) is often perceived as not inclusive of these youth. Therefore, we explored perceptions of SBAE alumni who identified as LGBTQ+ regarding their SBAE programs' climates. Responses to the What's Happening in This Class? instrument were analyzed. ANOVA found statistically significant differences depending on participants' characteristics. We conducted interviews based on participants' typology membership. Results revealed that interactions with the curriculum and views on program structure impacted participants' mostly positive perceptions. Investigation was rated the lowest construct; interviews found a focus on FFA rather than agricultural content. Improvements to teacher preparation and inservice programming are needed. Future research should examine perceptions of non-LGBTQ+ SBAE alumni to compare their views.
... Research on LGBTQ SMIs has focused on social media usage by Duguay [8] and dealt with the mental health issues of SMIs Chong [9] . Most of the studies on media and representation of LGBTQ people centre around their community perception [10] , wellbeing [11] , harmful representation [12,13,14] , and less visibility on official media platforms [15] . ...
... Initially, Western ethnography looked at identity and community image. With Parent et al. [10] studying the identities of LGBT people from intersectional approaches, this research expanded to include well-being among LGBTQ youth [11] as well as relationship patterns over gender and sexual orientation (Galupo et al. [21] ). ...
Social media influencers (SMIs) have emerged as key opinion leaders who shape audience attitudes through digital platforms. Notably, their impact on marginalized groups, particularly LGBTQ communities, has been significant. The recent visibility of LGBTQ SMIs in China signals evolving social attitudes. This study examines Chinese media representation of LGBTQ SMIs and how it reflects increasing acceptance of LGBT communities. Using textual analysis grounded in social network theory, we analyzed 26 news reports from Sina News, Sohu News, Baidu News, and China Daily. Three dominant themes emerged: calls for freedom and equality, increasing social openness and tolerance, and rising awareness of LGBT culture. The findings suggest that Chinese media portrayal of LGBTQ SMIs has shifted toward more positive representation, reflecting greater societal acceptance. This research contributes to understanding how digital media influences identity politics and cultural change in contemporary China, particularly regarding gender and sexuality representation.
... Being able to live in harmony with oneself minimises the negative psychological effects of social oppression, boosts your self-esteem and reduces the risk of depression (Glynn et al., 2016). At the same time, transgender people's well-being is supported by their affiliation with peer networks and the LGBTQIA + community (Higa et al., 2014;Smith et al., 2014;Barr et al., 2016;Coburn et al., 2022;Lewis et al., 2023), which is important, especially in the absence of close family ties. ...
... The well-being of transgender/non-binary people depends on the acceptance and support of friends, partner (Alanko, & Lund, 2020), peers, the LGBTQIA + community (Higa et al., 2014;Smith et al., 2014;Barr et al., 2016;Coburn et al., 2022;Lewis et al., 2023), and, most importantly, families (Aparicio-García et al., 2018;Brown et al., 2020;Katz-Wise et al., 2022), which is particularly relevant for youth. Affirmation of gender identity by significant others minimizes the effects of (self-)stigma and protects mental and physical health. ...
This paper aims to reconstruct parents’ actions to protect their transgender/non-binary children from stigma. An analysis of the literature on the subject indicates that family acceptance and support are crucial to the well-being of transgender/non-binary youth, and affirmation of gender identity protects their mental and physical health. The theoretical framework of the research was symbolic interactionism, and empirical data were collected through the narrative interview technique (F. Schütze). The research sample, selected according to the snowball procedure, consisted of cisgender, heterosexual mothers of transgender/non-binary children residing throughout Poland. The 10 autobiographical narrative interviews were subjected to a coding procedure specific to the grounded theory method (K. Charmaz). The empirical data were discussed in reference to the ways in which gender minorities experience stigmatisation. An in-depth analysis of the narrative interviews identified parenting activities focused on their intrapersonal, interpersonal and social dimensions. On this basis, four interrelated stages of the process of protecting transgender/non-binary children from stigma were analytically identified: identity recognition, normalisation, advocacy and allyship.
... A preferência por crenças para além do cristianismo, tão prevalente na sociedade brasileira (Coutinho, 2022), pode ter relação com a busca por espaços de fé mais acolhedores e cujos históricos sejam menos preconceituosos para com minorias sexuais e de gênero. De forma similar, em estudo acerca dos fatores associados ao bem-estar de jovens LGBT, Higa et al. (2014) identificaram que um pequeno número de participantes relatou experiências positivas em relação à religião/espiritualidade ao deixar religiões que não os aceitavam, a fim de integrar tradições espirituais como a Wicca e o paganismo. Tais tradições são tidas como mais inclusivas e com maior aceitação frente à diversidade sexual e de gênero (Marchetti, 2022;Lepage, 2017), o que pode relacionar-se à preferência por essas religiões por parte de pessoas LGBT. ...
Resumo Pessoas transgênero são aquelas cuja identidade de gênero difere da que lhes foi designada no nascimento. A população transgênero brasileira é estimada em 2% da população adulta do Brasil, contabilizando cerca de 3 milhões de pessoas, cujas vidas são continuamente atravessadas por situações de violência física e psicológica, discriminação e dificuldade de acesso a serviços e ao mercado de trabalho, e que, por tais razões, são uma população em caráter de vulnerabilidade. A partir de uma perspectiva pautada na Psicologia Positiva, o presente estudo buscou identificar possíveis fontes de saúde mental presentes em pessoas trans, investigando as variáveis esperança, otimismo e estratégias de coping e suas relações com a saúde mental nessa população. A amostra final contou com 228 pessoas transgênero brasileiras, entre transmasculinas (99), transfemininas (42), travestis (11) e não binárias (76), com idades variando entre 18 e 64 anos (M=24,8; Mdn=22). Os participantes foram recrutados principalmente por meio de redes sociais, em que responderam questionários online do tipo survey. Otimismo e esperança obtiveram níveis abaixo da média, enquanto depressão, ansiedade e estresse apresentaram-se acima da média. A etapa do desenvolvimento mais avançada (adolescência, adultez jovem e adultez tardia) pareceu afetar de forma positiva em relação às variáveis de interesse, enquanto raça e identidade de gênero tiveram impacto em outras variáveis, como depressão e coping focado na emoção. Identificou-se a possível contribuição do otimismo e esperança para com a saúde mental dos participantes, indicando ambos os construtos como potenciais possibilidades de trabalho clínico e investimento de psicólogos e pesquisadores que atuem com a população trans. Novos estudos devem ser realizados a fim de replicar ou refutar os presentes resultados, bem como de expandir as contribuições da psicologia positiva para populações marginalizadas.
... Some participants stated that there were already a lot of LGBTQIA+ individuals in their community, and the concept of LGBTQIA+ itself has already been normalized among the people more than ever. This indicates that their community generally serves as a source of support for their LGBTQIA+ children as their larger social environment considerably affects their well-being (Higa et al., 2014). Furthermore, the participants perceived their children as valued for their remarkable skills and talents in community events. ...
The study examined the responses of Filipino parents toward their openly self-identified LGBTQIA+ youthin the modern context. At the current time, there has been an increasing acceptance of FilipinoLGBTQIA+ individuals. As there has been a shift in literature towards understanding the protectivefactors of LGBTQIA+ youth health, family support, using response and behavior, is essentially theparamount factor in formatively influencing and promoting LGBTQIA+ well-being. Incorporating evidence from reviews of related literature and data collected, the study demonstrates how the family can be strengthened as a primary support system for LGBTQIA+ youth. It delves into the situations of Filipino families with LGBTQIA+ children and understands the different processes and factors involved in parental response and parent-child relationship conditions after identity disclosure. It has been found that Filipino families were generally accepting of their LGBTQIA+ children. Common factors affecting parental response include personal beliefs that stem from religious, cultural, and familial values. Parents know the importance of supporting and fulfilling their parental roles for their children.
... Also, spiritual care providers serving in secular institutions, such as educational institutions, care homes, hospitals, and military chaplaincies, can also serve to create key counterspaces for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in which to thrive, especially by emphasizing intrinsic experience and private practice (Heermann et al., 2007;Vespone, 2016). This is especially important to consider as nonaffirming religious views have been shown to negatively impact the quality of care and of services accessed by 2SLGBTQI+ people (Higa et al., 2014;Westwood, 2022). However, Vespone (Vespone, 2016) reported that it was entirely possible for chaplaincies, even on confessional postsecondary campuses, to provide spaces for full identity integration for all students. ...
2SLGBTQI+ Canadians occupy various prejudicial cis/heteronormative systems, as illustrated by rapidly increasing homo/bi/transphobia and gender- and sexuality-based violence targeting this population. As a result, their mental wellbeing is progressively deteriorating; the identification of risk and protective factors for this population’s mental wellbeing is vital. Religiosity, although protective for other populations, may be such a risk factor for the mental wellbeing of some 2SLGBTQI+ people. This study investigated and compared how five independent dimensions of religiosity—private practice, ideology, intellect, public practice, and experience—are linked to mental wellbeing for 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians who report a religious belief. Through its cross-sectional design, this study was conducted among self-identified 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada (N = 903) by means of an online survey from November 2022 to January 2023. The sample contained representation from every Canadian province and territory, as well as diversity in terms of sexual orientations and gender identities. The results of multiple regression analyses, which further compared participants with and without a current religious affiliation, confirmed that religiosity is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, with dimensions independently serving as protective (i.e., experience and private practice) or as risk (i.e., ideology) factors for 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians. Implications for research and praxis are discussed.
Websites are one of the most prolific forms of information and communication technology (ICT). Yet, their potential to contribute to the development of oppressed groups and marginalized populations remains largely understudied. The ICT for development literature often uses simplistic views of identity that ignore the diversity of human experiences arising from the interconnectedness of ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender. These aspects of identity are interconnected, and ignoring their intersection disregards compounding inequalities contended by sexual and gender minorities who are also ethnic minorities. Motivated by this research gap, this study analyzes 33 Two-Spirit web pages to further our understanding of how websites can contribute to the development of Two-Spirit communities. Two-Spirit is a modern term that recognizes expressions of gender fluidity and sexual diversity advanced by Indigenous Peoples in North America for centuries. An interpretive approach revealed that websites can support the development of Two-Spirit communities through four affordances: open spaces for activism, life stories telling, initiative impact reporting, and enabling access to resources. This paper contributes to the ICT literature on development by explaining how these affordances coalesce into a visibilization mechanism whereby ICT mediates unconstrained expressions of the Two-Spirit identity free of prejudices and colonial distortion.
Delve into the ideal resource for theory and research on parental monitoring and adolescents' disclosure and concealment from parents. This handbook presents ground-breaking research exploring how adolescents respond to parents' attempts to control and manage their activities and feelings. The chapters highlight how adolescents' responses are as important for their mental health and behaviour as parents' attempts to regulate them. Examining responsive, intrusive, and invasive parenting behaviours, the volume addresses modern challenges like monitoring in the digital age and medical decision-making. It covers cutting-edge research on diverse cultures and groups including Latinx, Turkish, Chinese, LGBTQ+, and chronically ill youth. The internationally recognized contributors offer insights from different theoretical perspectives and describe novel methodological approaches, focusing on variations across different developmental stages, contexts, and cultures.
In this article the author reviews research evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) and shows, using meta-analyses, that LGBs have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than heterosexuals. The author offers a conceptual framework for understanding this excess in prevalence of disorder in terms of minority stress— explaining that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems. The model describes stress processes, including the experience of prejudice events, expectations of rejection, hiding and concealing, internalized homophobia, and ameliorative coping processes. This conceptual framework is the basis for the review of research evidence, suggestions for future research directions, and exploration of public policy implications.
The authors discuss the components of consensual qualitative research (CQR) using open-ended questions to gather data, using words to describe phenomena, studying a few cases intensively, recognizing the importance of context, using an inductive analytic process, using a team and making decisions by consensus, using auditors, and verifying results by systematically checking against the raw data. The three steps for conducting CQR are developing and coding domains, constructing core ideas, and developing categories to describe consistencies across cases (cross analysis). Criteria for evaluating CQR are trustworthiness of the method, coherence of the results, representativeness of the results to the sample, testimonial validity, applicability of the results, and replicability across samples. Finally, the authors discuss implications for research, practice, and training.
Homophobic teasing is often long-term, systematic, and perpetrated by groups of students (Rivers, 2001); it places targets at risk for greater suicidal ideation, depression, and isolation (Elliot & Kilpatrick, 1994). This study fills a gap in the literature by examining buffering influences of positive parental relations and positive school climate on mental health outcomes for high school students who are questioning their sexual orientation. Participants were 13,921 high school students from a Midwestern U.S. public school district. Students completed a survey consisting of a wide range of questions related to their school experiences (bullying, homophobia, school climate), parental support, mood, and drug-alcohol use. Students were categorized into three groups: (a) youth who identified as heterosexual, (b) youth who questioned their sexual orientation, and (c) youth who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). As hypothesized, sexual minority youth were more likely to report high levels of depression-suicide feelings and alcohol-marijuana use; students who were questioning their sexual orientation reported more teasing, greater drug use, and more feelings of depression and suicide than either heterosexual or LGB students. Sexually questioning students who experienced homophobic teasing were also more likely than LGB students to use drugs-alcohol and rate their school climate as negative. Finally, positive school climate and parental support protected LGB and questioning students against depression and drug use.
Cases of lesbianism, homosexuality, and bisexuality can be traced back to the preadolescence and adolescence stage of development. Psychological research not only increases our knowledge and understanding on sexual identity but also gives voice to many young people who are sexual outcasts in society. This chapter reviews the concept of sexual identity and sexual behavior in the context of adolescence. The coming out models provide a picture of thoughts and feelings of teenagers towards the appearance of homoerotic images into their consciousness. Studies show that the response of youth to self-awareness ranges from relief and joy to depression and self-destructive behavior while manifestations of violence and harassment caused by the social environment result from home-related and school problems. Dating and sex likewise affects the emerging sexual identities among adolescents.
In the last decade, research of increasing sophistication has appeared concerning adolescents and young adults who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (lgb) (see D'Augelli & Patterson, 2001, for reviews of current research). These youths made their first appearance in the psychological research literature nearly thirty years ago (Roesler & Deisher, 1972), and a non-pathologized conceptual analysis of their life challenges did not appear until the early 1980's (Malyon, 1981). The publication of several papers by Remafedi in 1987 (Remafedi, 1987a, b) launched the contemporary empirical interest in lgb youths. These papers, although based on a small sample of adolescents in Minneapolis, not only focused on their mental health problems, but also attended to the circumstances of their lives, including mistreatment by others because of their sexual orientation. These landmark studies were followed by studies conducted on college campuses (e.g., D'Augelli, 1991) as well as descriptive survey-based studies that included youth from diverse community settings (e.g., D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Savin-Williams, 1990). Several core studies were conducted in urban social service agencies that deal with lgb youths (Herdt & Boxer, 1993; Hunter, 1991). These interview-based studies had the advantage of being able to obtain detailed information unavailable in survey research, but they had the inevitable problem of generalizability. Generalizability to the larger population of youths who have same-sex attractions is a major strength of the population-based surveys that have been the most recent additions to the literature (e.g., Faulkner & Cranston, 1998; Remafedi, Resnick, Blum, & Harris, 1992). These studies use large representative samples of high school students; such studies sort youths by sexual orientation on the basis of questions about same-sex sexual orientation, same-sex sexual behavior, or the gender of youths' sexual partners. These population-based surveys share with other survey research on lgb youths limits on the nature of information obtained; for instance, in some of these studies, only data on sexual behavior are available. Research on lgb youths has endeavored to elucidate the processes of development they undergo as they move through puberty to young adulthood. From the perspective of developmental research, these youths provide information about how sexual orientation evolves prior to puberty and crystallizes thereafter, providing critical insights into how adolescents experience the emergence of sexual identity (Graber & Archibald, 2001; McClintock & Herdt, 1998). In contrast to earlier generations of lgb people who self-identified as non-heterosexual in early adulthood as they established independence from their families of origin, many lgb youths currently self-identify during early adolescence. The earlier timing of contemporary lgb youths' self-identification highlights the importance of the social context on these youths' development (D'Augelli, 1998). These youths are, for the most part, still at home and in school, two crucial social contexts for adolescent development. Thus, they are adolescents whose cognitive, emotional, and social development is still occurring; they are confronting the challenge of disclosing a stigmatized identity; and, their primary social contexts--the home and the school–are often problematic settings. Lgb youths, then, can provide an important population for the study of how social context influences development. Unfortunately, little psychological research on the impact of contextual factors on the development of sexual orientation has occurred (D'Augelli, 1989), despite the crucial role contextual factors have played in the emergence of lgb communities (Garnets & D'Augelli, 1994). This chapter will review research on developmental and contextual factors on the lives of lgb youths. A comprehensive review of the research is beyond the scope of the chapter, and the reader is referred to D'Augelli and Patterson (2001). Instead, this chapter will highlight findings from several studies the author has completed on lgb youths, using the results to demonstrate the importance of employing developmental-contextual thinking in such research.
The study examines separation-individuation during adolescence and young adulthood for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths, and evaluates the consequences of parent-youth relationships for well-being and sexual orientation identity development. Seventy-two youths completed interview and questionnaire measures of relatedness, autonomy, and conflictual independence in relation to mothers and fathers, along with self-reports of parent attitudes, identity consolidation, and well-being. When youths perceived that their parents had relatively accepting attitudes regarding sexual orientation they demonstrated closer relatedness and greater conflictual independence with parents, but not greater autonomy. Both accepting parental attitudes and greater separation-individuation predicted more positive well-being for the youths, though only parental attitudes predicted greater consolidation of sexual orientation identity. Although mothers were generally closer and more supportive than fathers, relationships with both parents were important, independent predictors of personal adjustment. The discussion proposes mutual influences among separation-individuation, perceived acceptance by parents, identity consolidation and well-being.
To understand the way children develop, Bronfenbrenner believes that it is necessary to observe their behavior in natural settings, while they are interacting with familiar adults over prolonged periods of time. His book offers an important blueprint for constructing a new and ecologically valid psychology of development.