Advocacy by LGBTQ+ school clubs may help combat student depression: Research

The research which was released today in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology indicates that schools with GSAs also known as GayStraight Alliances who take part in more advocacy to raise awareness of issues affecting LGBTQ students can aid in promoting wellbeing among LGBTQ youth throughout the larger school population Discrimination is a major contributor to depression among LGBTQ youth GSAs provide an affirming space in schools for LGBTQ youth to access support and work collectively against discrimination that they face said lead author Dr Paul Poteat Professor of Counseling Developmental and Educational Psychology at Boston CollegeOur results suggest that GSAled advocacy efforts to raise awareness of LGBTQ students experiences and to address discrimination have the potential to reduce disparities in the depression between LGBQ students and heterosexual students in the general school population he saidGSAs are now in an estimated 44 per cent of middle schools and high schools across the United States They are studentled school clubs that aim to provide a space to socialize access socialemotional support from peers and advocate for students who identify as lesbian gay bisexual transgender queer and with other sexual orientations and gender identities LGBTQ GSA advocacy activities often seek to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues and counteract bullying and discrimination within the schoolThis study included 1362 students from 23 secondary schools across Massachusetts who attended schools with GSAs but who were not members of the GSA 89 per cent of whom identified as heterosexual and 11 per cent as LGBQ Participants reported their depressive symptoms at the beginning and the end of the school year and separately GSA members reported on their groups advocacy efforts over the school yearThe researchers found thatLGBQ youth reported higher depressive symptoms than heterosexual students at the start of the school yearDepression disparities between LGBQ students and heterosexual students were smaller at the end of the school year for students in schools whose GSAs had engaged in more advocacy over the yearThese effects tied to GSA advocacy were still present even after accounting for students initial depressive symptoms and several other known contributors to youth mental healthOur findings further underscore the value of GSAs to promote the wellbeing of LGBQ students suggesting these groups are a key schoolbased resource for addressing the mental health needs of this group added coauthor Dr Hirokazu Yoshikawa Professor from the Steinhardt School of Culture Education and Human Development at New York UniversityGSA advocacy is outward facing and includes efforts to counteract discrimination and bias in schools factors that often underlie depressive symptoms in LGBTQ youth which could help to explain why its benefits appear to extend beyond those students who actively participate in these groups added YoshikawaThe authors highlight certain limitations of this study including a lack of consideration of other school policies and practices such as antibullying policies or staff development Similarly they were unable to include the involvement of participants in other advocacy activities across the school Additional research would be needed to consider whether these findings are applicable outside of Massachusetts as GSA activity and its benefits may vary depending on broader factors such as the sociopolitical context of the schools locationRead More Are you a queer journalist Apply for this fellowship to tell your storiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever