2-008 - Protective and promotive factors among sexual minority youth: Who is doing well, and why

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Research on sexual minority youth (SMY) consistently indicates that a majority of SMY are surviving, and even thriving despite their increased vulnerability to victimization and other stigma-based stressors. Identifying and understanding protective and promotive factors that support SMY is essential for improving outcomes among this population, despite the observed sexual orientation disparities in psychosocial functioning. The overarching goal of the current symposium is to focus on protective and promotive factors among SMY.
Each abstract proposes protective and promotive factors on different ecological levels. The first paper focuses on individual-level coping strategies within a largely nonmetropolitan sample of sexual and gender minority youth. The second paper addresses the protective and promotive role of the social context (e.g., positive peer group, maternal support, popularity) in a nationally-derived sample of adolescents. The third paper tests the role of school policies for preventing homophobic bullying and strengthening school connectedness among SMY using a statewide school-based sample, focusing on the structural level. The fourth paper incorporates all of these levels by exploring resilience via the Developmental Assets Framework within a large-scale study of adolescents. The outcomes examined reflect both traditional focuses of study within sexual and gender minority populations (e.g., suicidality, mental health and health behavior) as well as outcomes that are less frequently studied among SMY (e.g., extracurricular activity participation, teacher bonding). Exploring resilience across a variety of outcomes permits for a comprehensive, multi-level understanding of the construct among SMY, and opens an important dialogue focusing on protective and promotive perspectives on SMY development.

Sub Unit

• Sex, Gender

Chair

• Alexa Martin-Storey, Université de Sherbrooke

Individual Presentations

• Coping strategies among sexual and gender minority youth: A preliminary investigation - Presenting Author: Jessica N Fish, University of Texas at Austin; Megan S Paceley, [email protected]; Nikolaus Schuetz, University of Kansas

• Protective and promotive factors in the school context: Similarities and differences across sexual minority status - Presenting Author: Alexa Martin-Storey, Université de Sherbrooke

• Safe and supportive schools for LGB youth: Addressing educational inequities through LGBTQ-inclusive policies - Presenting Author: Jack Day, University of Texas at Austin; Salvatore Ioverno, University of Texas at Austin; Stephen Russell, University of Texas

• Protective factors associated with suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth - Presenting Author: Russell B. Toomey, University of Arizona; Amy K Syvertsen, Search Institute