Health & Medicine
Anti-Homophobia Interventions Help Reduce Suicide Risk for all Students: Study
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Jan 22, 2014 08:50 PM EST
A recent study shows how Canadian schools with explicit anti-homophobia interventions have had success at reducing suicidal attempts and thoughts among both sexual minority and straight students.
According to researchers from the University of British Columbia, they found that student--led clubs that include all sexual orientations-including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning youth and straight allies--can help prevent such issues.
"We know that LGBTQ students are at higher risk for suicide, in part because they are more often targeted for bullying and discrimination," said Elizabeth Saewyc, lead author of the study and professor with the UBC School of Nursing, via a press release. "But heterosexual students can also be the target of homophobic bullying. When policies and supportive programs like GSAs are in place long enough to change the environment of the school, it's better for students' mental health, no matter what their orientation."
In fact, findings showed that LGBTQ youth and heterosexual students in schools with anti-homophobia policies had lower rates of discrimination, as well as suicidal thoughts and attempts.
For the study, researchers used data from the 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey conducted by the McCreary Centre Society for grades 8 through 12, involving 21,708 students. As participating school districts represent 92 percent of the students enrolled across the province, the study showed that one in five students attended anti-homophobic bullying policies and one in three attended schools in GSA.
Here are some of the key findings, courtesy of the release:
In schools with gay-straight alliances implemented three or more years ago:
-The odds of homophobic discrimination and suicidal thoughts were reduced by more than half among lesbian, gay, bisexual boys and girls compared to schools with no GSA.
-There were also significantly lower odds of sexual orientation discrimination for heterosexual boys and girls.
-Heterosexual boys were half as likely to attempt suicide as those in schools without GSAs.
In schools where anti-homophobic policies have been in place for more than three years:
-The odds of suicidal thoughts and attempts for gay and bisexual boys were more than 70 per cent lower. Suicide attempts among lesbian and bisexual girls were two-thirds lower.
-Heterosexual boys had 27 per cent lower odds of suicidal thoughts than heterosexual boys in schools without such policies.
More information regarding the study can be found via the International Journal of Child, Youth, and Family Studies.
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First Posted: Jan 22, 2014 08:50 PM EST
A recent study shows how Canadian schools with explicit anti-homophobia interventions have had success at reducing suicidal attempts and thoughts among both sexual minority and straight students.
According to researchers from the University of British Columbia, they found that student--led clubs that include all sexual orientations-including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning youth and straight allies--can help prevent such issues.
"We know that LGBTQ students are at higher risk for suicide, in part because they are more often targeted for bullying and discrimination," said Elizabeth Saewyc, lead author of the study and professor with the UBC School of Nursing, via a press release. "But heterosexual students can also be the target of homophobic bullying. When policies and supportive programs like GSAs are in place long enough to change the environment of the school, it's better for students' mental health, no matter what their orientation."
In fact, findings showed that LGBTQ youth and heterosexual students in schools with anti-homophobia policies had lower rates of discrimination, as well as suicidal thoughts and attempts.
For the study, researchers used data from the 2008 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey conducted by the McCreary Centre Society for grades 8 through 12, involving 21,708 students. As participating school districts represent 92 percent of the students enrolled across the province, the study showed that one in five students attended anti-homophobic bullying policies and one in three attended schools in GSA.
Here are some of the key findings, courtesy of the release:
In schools with gay-straight alliances implemented three or more years ago:
-The odds of homophobic discrimination and suicidal thoughts were reduced by more than half among lesbian, gay, bisexual boys and girls compared to schools with no GSA.
-There were also significantly lower odds of sexual orientation discrimination for heterosexual boys and girls.
-Heterosexual boys were half as likely to attempt suicide as those in schools without GSAs.
In schools where anti-homophobic policies have been in place for more than three years:
-The odds of suicidal thoughts and attempts for gay and bisexual boys were more than 70 per cent lower. Suicide attempts among lesbian and bisexual girls were two-thirds lower.
-Heterosexual boys had 27 per cent lower odds of suicidal thoughts than heterosexual boys in schools without such policies.
More information regarding the study can be found via the International Journal of Child, Youth, and Family Studies.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone