Linking inclusive school practices and mental health in sexual and gender minority youth in Europe
Article
Ioverno, S., Sherwood, S.H., Costa, S., Van Houtte, M., Dewaele, A., O’Higgins Norman, J., Gato, J., Mazzone, A., Pezzella, A., Huic, A., Šolinc, M., Richard, G., Papathanasiou, N., Aparicio-García, M.E., Wilhelm, W. and Russell, S.T. 2025. Linking inclusive school practices and mental health in sexual and gender minority youth in Europe. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02733-6
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | Linking inclusive school practices and mental health in sexual and gender minority youth in Europe |
Authors | Ioverno, S., Sherwood, S.H., Costa, S., Van Houtte, M., Dewaele, A., O’Higgins Norman, J., Gato, J., Mazzone, A., Pezzella, A., Huic, A., Šolinc, M., Richard, G., Papathanasiou, N., Aparicio-García, M.E., Wilhelm, W. and Russell, S.T. |
Abstract | Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth often face stressors such as stigma and discrimination, leading to high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. There is a need to identify effective school practices across different countries to reduce these minority stressors and the resulting mental health disparities. A total of 17,733 SGM high school students (aged 14+) across 13 European countries completed an online survey between September 2020 and January 2022. Participants reported on school inclusivity practices (i.e., inclusive sex education, SGM representation in classroom, and teacher inclusivity), minority stressors (i.e., perceived unsafety at school, experiences of bias-based bullying, and internalized stigma) and mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation). SGM-inclusive sex education and teacher inclusiveness were associated with lower odds of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. A positive representation of SGM issues in classrooms was associated with low odds of depression and suicidal ideation, whereas negative representation was associated with increased odds of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The associations between such practices and the mental health outcomes were partially mediated by perceived unsafety at school, experiences of bias-based bullying, and internalized stigma. Across European countries, incorporating positive representations of LGBTQI + topics in the classroom, providing inclusive sex education, and fostering inclusive attitudes and behaviors among teachers can create a more supportive and affirming educational environment for SGM youth. By addressing issues of perceived unsafety, bias-based bullying, and internalized stigma, these practices can play a critical role in reducing mental health disparities and promoting well-being among SGM students. |
Keywords | Sexual minority; Gender minority; Adolescents Mental Health; Inclusive School Policies |
Sustainable Development Goals | 10 Reduced inequalities |
Middlesex University Theme | Health & Wellbeing |
Publisher | Springer |
Journal | European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
ISSN | 1018-8827 |
Electronic | 1435-165X |
Publication dates | |
Online | 02 May 2025 |
Publication process dates | |
Submitted | 14 Dec 2024 |
Accepted | 24 Apr 2025 |
Deposited | 08 May 2025 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Copyright Statement | This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02733-6 |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/243719
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