"There are many stresses that come with being an LGBTQ+ youth: fear, isolation, bullying, feeling as if the world hates you, loved ones pressuring you to change. Those realities come into sharper view in the first release of findings from an ongoing study by the Trevor Project to track the mental health of about 1,700 youth across the U.S. over an extended period of time. Researchers from the West Hollywood-based nonprofit saw a sharp increase in mental distress among the participants. Over the course of one year, the proportion of participants who reported anxiety symptoms rose from 57% to 68%."
"As political rhetoric in the last couple of years has boiled over on issues such as teaching about LGBTQ+ identity in schools, transgender students playing on sports teams and whether to allow gender-affirming care, the share of youth who said they'd experienced symptoms of depression rose from 48% to 54%. Those reporting having suicidal thoughts went from 41% to 47%. Transgender and nonbinary youth were nearly twice as likely to say they'd struggled with anxiety and suicidal thoughts than their cisgender peers - a pattern that held steady throughout the first year of data collection on participants in this group."
About 1,700 queer youth across the U.S. were tracked over one year to monitor mental health. Anxiety symptoms increased from 57% to 68%, depression symptoms rose from 48% to 54%, and reports of suicidal thoughts increased from 41% to 47%. Transgender and nonbinary youth were nearly twice as likely as cisgender peers to report anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Political rhetoric around school curriculum, sports participation, and gender-affirming care coincided with rising distress. Increasing numbers of LGBTQ+ youth reported pressure to undergo conversion therapy. The overall pattern indicates worsening mental health and elevated risk for LGBTQ+ young people.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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