Coming out at school worth the risk, study shows
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| Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project |
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY-The long-term benefits of LGBT youth coming out at school may outweigh
short-term negative consequences related to bullying according to a new study
from San Francisco State University's Family Acceptance Project.
LGBT youth continue to face victimization at school for
revealing sexual orientation and gender identity, but the research published in
the 2014 year-end issue of the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry shows that
children and adolescents who come out at school report higher levels of
well-being, and lower levels of depression as adults.
The study, the first to document the benefits of being out
during adolescence on young adult adjustment, highlights the important role
schools can play in supporting LGBT youth, said Caitlin Ryan, founder and
director of the Family Acceptance Project and a co-author of the study. Adults
often counsel LGBT youth to hide their LGBT identity at school to protect them
from harm, but the research indicates that in fact coming out can be more
effective in promoting an adolescent’s well-being.
"These findings really speak to the need to put in place many more structural and social supports for our LGBT kids," Ryan said, including ensuring schools have policies in place for reporting discrimination, training teachers and administrators to recognize harassment and incorporating LGBT topics into the curriculum. "Schools can also help families accept and support their LGBT children, normalize their identity and help them develop positive coping skills, all of which can have a significant impact on a child's well-being."
Previous research from the Family Acceptance Project has
shown that when
families reject their LGBT children, those children are at increased risk
for depression, suicidal behavior, drug abuse and HIV.
LGBT youth are coming out at increasingly younger ages, but
no studies had examined how revealing sexual orientation and gender identity at
school affects a person's long-term well-being. To do so, Ryan and her
colleagues at the University of Arizona and Kent State
University surveyed 245
LGBT adults ages 21 through 25 about whether they disclosed their LGBT status
at school, the extent to which they were victimized for their LGBT identity,
and their levels of depression, life satisfaction and self-esteem as adults.
They found that, while being out in school was associated with more
victimization, it had a stronger association with higher well-being as an
adult.
The reason, Ryan said, is likely that LGBT youth who are out
are more likely to seek out LGBT resources for support, to develop coping
skills related to managing their LGBT identity and to come into contact with
other LGBT individuals who can become role models.
"As these youth find friends and adults who value them, and as they receive opportunities to make a difference in the community, they're increasing their sense of self worth," she said. "If you have a high sense of self-worth, you're going to live your life with better self-care and be in more supportive relationships than if you believe you're not a good person."
Because of the clear link between family rejection of LGBT
youth and increased health risks, the Family Acceptance Project has developed
research-based family intervention strategies, resources such as multilingual
and faith-based family education materials and short documentary films designed
to help families accept and support their LGBT children and adolescents.
"As a society, we have to go beyond just protecting LGBT young people from harm, we also have to promote their well-being as we do for all children and adolescents," Ryan said.
-- Jonathan
Morales
