This study finds that, compared with straight-identified youth, youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) are at greater risk of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, victimization by peers, and elevated levels of unexcused absences from school. Results disaggregated by LGBTQ subgroups reveal heterogeneity within the broad LGBTQ group, with bisexual youth appearing to be particularly at risk. Also, although the risk gaps in school belongingness and unexcused absences are significant in high school, we find that these gaps are significantly greater in middle school, suggesting heightened early risk for LGBTQ-identified students. By raising awareness of educational inequities related to LGBTQ identification, this study lays the descriptive groundwork for interventions aimed at improving psychological and educational outcomes for these students.
BadgettM. V. L. (2009). When gay people get married: What happens when societies legalize same-sex marriage. New York: New York University Press.
3.
BagleyC.D’AugelliA. R. (2000). Suicidal behaviour in gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth: It’s an international problem that is associated with homophobic legislation. British Medical Journal, 320, 1617–1618.
4.
BirkettM.EspelageD. L.KoenigB. (2009). LGB and questioning students in schools: The moderating effects of homophobic bullying and school climate on negative outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 989–1000.
5.
BlumenfeldW. J.CooperR. (2010). LGBT and allied youth responses to cyberbullying: Policy implications. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3(1), 114–133.
6.
BontempoD.D’AugelliA. R. (2002). Effects of at-school victimization and sexual orientation on lesbian, gay, or bisexual youths’ health risk behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 364–374.
7.
BrooksF. L. (2000). Beneath contempt: The mistreatment of non- traditional/gender atypical boys. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 12(1–2), 107–115.
8.
CarterK. A. (2000). Transgenderism and college students: Issues of gender identity and its role on our campuses. In WallV. A.EvansN. J. (Eds.), Toward acceptance: Sexual orientation issues on campus (pp. 261–282). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Clements-NolleK.MarxR.GuzmanR.KatzM. (2001). HIV prevalence, risk behaviors, health care use, and mental health status of transgender persons: Implications for public health intervention. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 915–921.
11.
D’AugelliA. R. (1998). Victimization history and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Paper presented at the meetings of the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.
12.
D’AugelliA. R.HershbergerS. L. (1993). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth in community settings: Personal challenges and mental health problems. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 421–448.
13.
D’AugelliA. R.HershbergerS. L.PilkingtonN. W. (2001). Suicidality patterns and sexual orientation–related factors among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 31(3), 250–264.
14.
D’AugelliA. R.PilkingtonN. W.HershbergerS. L. (2002). Incidence and mental health impact of sexual orientation victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in high school. School Psychology Quarterly, 17, 148–167.
15.
DevorH. (1993). Sexual orientation identities, attractions, and practices of female-to-male transsexuals. Journal of Sex Research, 30, 303–315.
16.
EisenbergM. E.ResnickM. D. (2006). Suicidality among gay, lesbian and bisexual youth: The role of protective factors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, 662–668.
17.
ElzeD. E. (2007). Research with sexual minority youths: Where do we go from here?Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services: Issues in Practice, Policy and Research, 18(2), 73–99.
18.
EspelageD. L.AragonS. RBirkettM.KoenigB. (2008). Homophobic teasing, psychological outcomes, and sexual orientation among high school students: What influence do parents and schools have?School Psychology Review, 37, 202–216.
19.
EspelageD. L.HoltM. K.PoteatV. P. (2010). Individual and contextual influences on bullying: Perpetration and victimization. In MeeceJ. L.EcclesJ. S. (Eds.), Handbook of schools, schooling, and human development (pp. 146–160). New York: Routlegdge.
20.
EspelageD. L.SwearerS. M. (2008). Current perspectives on linking school bullying research to effective prevention strategies. In MillerT. W. (Ed.), School violence and primary prevention (pp. 335–353). New York: Springer.
21.
FanX.MillerB. C.ParkK.WinwardB. W.ChristensenM.GrotevantH. D.. (2006). An exploratory study about inaccuracy and invalidity in adolescent self-report surveys. Field Methods, 18, 223–244.
22.
GarofaloR.WolfR. C.KesselS.PalfreyJ.DuRantR. H. (1998). The association between health risk behaviors and sexual orientation among a school-based sample of adolescents. Pediatrics, 101, 895–902.
23.
GatesG. J. (2006). Same-sex couples and the gay, lesbian, bisexual population: New estimates from the American Community Survey. Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles, Williams Institute. Retrieved from http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8h08t0zf
24.
GilmanS. E.CochranS. D.MaysV. M.HughesM.OstrowD.KesslerR. C. (2001). Risk of psychiatric disorders among individuals reporting same-sex sexual partners in the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 933–939.
25.
GrossmanA. H.D’AugelliA. R. (2006). Transgender youth: Invisible and vulnerable. Journal of Homosexuality, 51(1), 111–128.
26.
HerdtG.BoxerA. M. (1993). Children of horizons: How gay and lesbian teens are leading a new way out of the closet. Boston: Beacon.
27.
HershbergerL.D’AugelliA. (1995). The impact of victimization on the mental health and suicidality of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Developmental Psychology, 31, 65–74.
28.
HornS. S.KosciwJ. G.RussellS. T. (2009). Special issue introduction: New research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: Studying lives in context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 863–866.
29.
KingM.SemlyenJ.TaiS. S.KillaspyH.OsbornD.PopelyukD.. (2008). A systematic review of mental disorder, suicide, and deliberate self harm in lesbian, gay and bisexual people. BMC Psychiatry, 8, 70.
30.
KirkS. C.KulkarniC. (2006). The whole person: A paradigm for integrating the mental and physical health of trans clients. In ShankleM. D. (Ed.), The handook of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender public health: A practicioner’s guide to service (pp. 145–174). New York: Harrington Park Place.
31.
KosciwJ. G. (2004). The 2003 National School Climate Survey: The school-related experiences of our nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. New York: Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network.
32.
KosciwJ. G.DiazE. M. (2006). The 2005 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.
33.
KosciwJ. G.DiazE. M.GreytakE. A. (2008). The 2007 national school climate survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.
34.
KosciwJ. G.GreytakE. A.DiazE. M. (2009). Who, what, when, where, and why: Demographic and ecological factors contributing to hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 976–988.
35.
KosciwJ. G.GreytakE. A.DiazE. M.BartkiewiczM. J. (2010). The 2009 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.
McGuireJ. K.AndersonC. R.ToomeyR. B.RussellS. T. (2010). School climate for transgender youth: A mixed method investigation of student experiences and school responses. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 1175–1188.
38.
NicholsS. L. (1999). Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth: Understanding diversity and promoting tolerance in schools. Elementary School Journal, 99, 505–519.
39.
O’ShaughnessyM.RussellS. T.HeckK.CalhounC.LaubC. (2004). Safe place to learn: Consequences of harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender non-conformity and steps for making schools safer. San Francisco: California Safe Schools Coalition and 4-H Center for Youth Development.
40.
PaulJ. P.CataniaJ.PollackL.MoskowitzJ.CancholaJ.MillsT.. (2002). Suicide attempts among gay and bisexual men: Lifetime prevalence and antecedents. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 1338–1345.
41.
PoteatV. P.EspelageD. L. (2005). Exploring the relation between bullying and homophobic verbal content: The Homophobic Content Agent Target (HCAT) Scale. Violence and Victims, 20, 513–528.
42.
PoteatV. P.RiversI. (2010). The use of homophobic language across bullying roles during adolescence. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 166–172.
43.
Rabe-HeskethS.SkrondalA. (2005). Multilevel and longitudinal modeling using Stata. College Station, TX: Stata.
44.
RaudenbushS. W.BrykA. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
45.
RemafediG.FrenchS.StoryM.ResnickM. D.BlumR. (1998). The relationship between suicide risk and sexual orientation: Results of a population-based study. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 57–60.
46.
RiegerG.LinsenmeierJ. A. W.GygaxL.BaileyJ. M. (2008). Sexual orientation and childhood gender nonconformity: Evidence from home videos. Developmental Psychology, 44, 46–58.
47.
RiversI. (2001). The bullying of sexual minorities at school: Its nature and long-term correlates. Educational and Child Psychology, 18, 32–46.
48.
RosarioM.Rotheram-BorusM. J.ReidH. (1996). Gay-related stress and its correlates among gay and bisexual male adolescents of predominantly Black and Hispanic background. Journal of Community Psychology, 24, 136–159.
49.
RussellS. T.DriscollA. K.TruongN. (2002). Adolescent same-sex romantic attractions and relationships: Implications for substance use and abuse. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 198–202.
50.
RussellS. T.SeifH. (2002). Bisexual female adolescents: A critical analysis of past research and results from a national survey. Journal of Bisexuality, 2, 73–94.
51.
RussellS. T.SeifH.TruongN. (2001). School outcomes of sexual minority youth in the United States: Evidence from a national study. Journal of Adolescence, 24, 111–127.
52.
SafrenS. A.HeimbergR. G. (1999). Depression, hopelessness, suicidality, and related factors in sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 859–866.
53.
Savin-WilliamsR. C. (2005). The new gay teenager. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
54.
Savin-WilliamsR. C.DiamondL. M. (2000). Sexual identity trajectories among sexual-minority youth: Gender comparisons. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 29, 419–440.
55.
SellR. L.BeckerJ. B. (2001). Sexual orientation data collection and progress toward Healthy People 2010. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 876–882.
56.
TurnerC. F.KuL.RogersS. M.LindbergL. D.PleckJ. H.SonensteinF. L. (1998). Adolescent sexual behavior, drug use, and violence: Increased reporting with computer survey technology. Science, 280(5365), 867–873.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
