HARVARD UNIVERSITY: School climates, suicide and gay and lesbian students-Research on LGBT and youth education
Research
has shown that sexual-minority youth — those who identify as lesbian, gay,
bisexual or transgender — are more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience violence in
their lives, including bullying, harassment and physical assault. In addition
to the safety and physical health consequences, violence and victimization are
associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide, and indeed,
sexual minorities have been found to bear a disproportionate burden with
respect to these health issues. A 2011 meta-analysis in
the Journal of Adolescent Health found that young people who
identify as LGBT are nearly three times more likely to commit suicide than
heterosexual youth.
A 2006 study in the Journal
of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology found that the degree to
which adolescents feel accepted and welcomed in their schools significantly
predicts overall mental health as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety. A
positive school climate is defined by the U.S. Department
of Education as “the extent to which a school community creates
and maintains a safe school campus, a supportive academic, disciplinary and
physical environment, and respectful, trusting and caring relationships
throughout the school community.” Research from New York University on the
impact of school climate on LGBT youth found
that victimization experiences were associated with decreased self-esteem,
poorer grades and higher absenteeism rates.
A
2014 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, “Protective
School Climates and Reduced Risk for Suicide Ideation in Sexual Minority
Youths,” analyzed data on sexual orientation and
suicide-related behavior from the 2006 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance Survey, and state and city-level data from the 2010 School Health
Profile Survey. Supportive school climates were characterized in part by: the
presence of Gay-Straight Alliances; educational curriculum on LGBT-relevant
topic areas; policies prohibiting harassment; the encouragement of staff to
attend relevant trainings; and the connection of sexual-minority youth to
LGBT-friendly, off-campus health providers.
The study’s authors are Mark L. Hatzenbuehler
of Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University; Michelle Birkett of
the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; Aimee Van Wagenen
at the Fenway Institute; and Ilan H. Meyer of the Williams Institute at the
UCLA School of Law.
The
study’s findings include:
Of
the 55,599 students in the analysis, 1.3% identified as lesbian or gay, 3.5% as
bisexual and 2.4% as unsure.
Sexual-minority
youth faced a greater risk of contemplating suicide, making a plan and
attempting suicide compared to heterosexual youth, with bisexual adolescents
experiencing the greatest risk with respect to all three outcomes. Among all
youth studied, 13% reported experiencing suicidal thoughts, 11% reported making
a plan to commit suicide and 8% reported a history of attempting suicide.
School
climate played a significant role in past-year suicidal ideation: Lesbian and
gay youth in positive school climates experiencing a 70% lower probability of
suicidal ideation compared to those in states or cities with less-inclusive
school climates, while bisexual youth had a 80% lower probability. The results
were found to be statisitically were significant even after controlling for
potentially confounding factors.
“The
findings point to potential targets for public health interventions aimed at
reducing sexual orientation disparities in suicide risk,” the researchers
conclude. “In particular, comprehensive suicide prevention and interventions
for sexual-minority adolescents should address not only individual-level and family-level factors but
also broader social-contextual influences, including school climate.”
- See more at:
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-society/school-climate-suicide-gay-lesbian-lgbtq-youth?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+journalistsresource+%28Journalist%27s+Resource%29#sthash.gDQuydWA.dpuf
