Sexual Minority & Transgender Youth

Question 1

what percentage of youth id as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans?

Answer 1

3-5% (includes questioning/unsure) and 1% transgender

Question 2

mental health status of SMY

Answer 2

have higher rates of mental health sympts/diags than peers
- 3-4X higher rates of dep. disorders, suicidality, and NSSI
- higher rates of anxiety disorders
- 3X higher rates of SUDs
- 2-4X higher rates EDs
- PTSD probably

Question 3

describe how markers of mental health for sexual minority youth changed over time according to three BC Adolescent Health Surveys

Answer 3

looked in 2008, 2013, 2018:
lesbian/gay/bisexual youth were less likely to have attempted suicide (2008 30% –> 2018 17%)
- still high but has dropped a lot over 10yr period
- binge drinking in past month went from 68% to 40%, also still high but has lowered a lot

Question 4

mental health status of trans youth

Answer 4

• higher rates of depr. disorders, suicidality, NSSI
• higher rates of anxiety disorders (esp GAD)
• higher rates of SUDs
• higher rates of EDs
• higher rates of PTSD
• higher rates of ASD (10%, a 3X higher rate. they co-occur, NOT comorbid)

Question 5

what is the mental health status of SMY compared to their trans and cis peers

Answer 5

• SMY have higher rates of mental health symptoms and diagnoses than peers
• TY have higher rates of mental health sympts/ diags than peers, including sexual minority peers

Question 6

what do EDs look like in TY?

Answer 6

-transmasc may restrict eating to suppress dev of secondary sex chars (dev of breasts, menstruation) and may exercise excessively to build muscle
- transfem may restrict eating to stop dev of pubertal chars (facial hair) and to keep to thinness ideal)

Question 7

minority stress framework

Answer 7

SM/TY experience more and unique stressors related to their identity
- more identities –> more discrim
- discrim/bias leads to higher rates of mental/phys health probs

distal stressor - discrim/stigma, victimization in social envir

proximal stressor - expect rejection, concealment of identity

Question 8

distal stressor

Answer 8

more likely to have lived in unstable/unsafe enviros and to have been victimized by fam/peers
- verbal/phys victimization may also occur at school; some youth do not attend school bc afraid to go (more than half assaulted don’t report, less than half feel safe at school)

Question 9

proximal stressor

Answer 9

• some SMY internalize negative messages, expect rejection, and conceal sexual orientation to try to reduce discrim
• some TY may also conceal identity. other proximal stressors: greater body-identity mismatch w/ puberty, inaccurate perception of their gender identity, and policies that affect their rights (affirming care, play sports team, washroom they identity w/)

Question 10

describe coming out for sexual minority youth and transgender youth

Answer 10

disclosing one’s identity to others is a stressor. SMY now disclose this identity during middle adols rather than young adulthood
- avg age is 14-16
may be single event or gradual process (months, years)
- more likely when youth still dependent on parents and req to go to school - means they are vulnerable to rejection, homelessness, bullying, alienation, etc

Question 11

mental health status of bisexual youth versus that of lesbian youth and gay youth

Answer 11

bisexual youth are at even higher risk for poor mental health than lesbian/gay youth, related to dual stigma
- may have inc SB
- stigma from hetero and lesbian/gay communities, viewed as not belonging to either groups

Question 12

identify the protective factor that appears to be key for buffering youth against the negative effects of minority stressors

Answer 12

many SMY/TY do not experience mental health probs
- BC survey 2018: 1/2 of TY agree they have good life
- social support is key - come from friends, trusted adults, school resources, etc

Question 13

developmental collision hypothesis

Answer 13

is a collision b/t youth disclosing sexual/gender identity and heightened vulnerability to neg responses from peers/adults, both during middle adols, contributing to the persistence of poor mental health?
- is age at disclosure related directly or indirectly to dep sympts?

Question 14

describe how earlier age at disclosure of one’s sexual minority identity was related directly and indirectly to adolescents’ depressive symptoms

Answer 14

• earlier age at disclosure was related directly to fewer dep sympts
• earlier age at disclosure related indirectly to more dep sympts through LGBTQ+ victimization

Question 15

describe how the relationships between earlier age at disclosure of one’s SM identity and adolescents’ dep sympts differed across the three generations of youth

Answer 15

• adols’ exps of LGBTQ+ victimization and not an earlier age at disclosure contributes to their mental health vulnerability
• coming out at a younger age (each gen got younger and younger when they came out) may protect against poorer mental health by enhancing feelings of coherence and providing access to social support

Question 16

2 factors that are unique to SMY/TY

Answer 16

• avg age for coming out is getting younger (14-16, used to be young adulthood), this is good, access to social support
• SMY/TY may have increased rates of PTSD due to the victimization they face