The Elephant in the GSA: Associations Between Discussions of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election and Mental Health Outcomes in Gender-Sexuality Alliances

Abstract

The 2016 U.S. Presidential election led to a rise in mental health concerns among marginalized youth. We consider how LGBTQ+ and ally youth responded in Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs). In this secondary analysis, we used survey data to assess for associations between frequency of discussions of the election in GSAs and mental health outcomes. We found that youth in GSAs that discussed the election and its sequelae more frequently reported lower depressive symptoms at the end of the year, but this association held true only for White youth and not racial/ethnic minority youth and only in the 2016 to 2017 academic year and not the 2017 to 2018 academic year. Implications are discussed.

Keywords

mental health political behavior discrimination peer support extracurricular activity

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