Stephen T. Russell

Bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI‐based bullying) is prevalent across Europe. This study examined the associations among student‐level and school‐level inclusive school practices and general and SOGI‐based bullying across LGBTQ+ students and heterosexual cisgender students. Data were drawn from 13 European countries, with a final analytic sample of n = 6730. Participants had a mean age of 16.37 years ( SD = 1.46), and 58% identified as LGBTQ+. Results from multivariate multilevel models indicated that SOGI‐inclusive anti‐bullying policies at the student level and positive LGBTQ+ representation at both the school and student levels were associated with lower rates of bullying, whereas SOGI‐inclusive sex education was not significantly associated with bullying outcomes. Further analyses showed that these inclusive school practices were negatively associated with general and SOGI‐based bullying to the same extent. More importantly, such associations were similar between LGBTQ+ students and heterosexual cisgender students. Overall, the findings highlight that inclusive school practices could be protective against both SOGI‐based and general bullying for all students, emphasizing the need for school interventions that explicitly address stigma toward LGBTQ+ identities to foster safer and more supportive school environments.

The Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) has been widely applied in suicide research, including studies involving LGBTQ+ people. However, longitudinal tests of the theory, particularly those integrating the moderating role of acquired capability for suicide, remain limited. The present study evaluated the IPTS using a three‐wave longitudinal design with data from 662 LGBTQ+ youth ages 15–21 at baseline located in two major U.S. regions. Latent structural equation modeling was used to examine whether perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness at Wave 1 predicted suicidal behavior at Wave 3 indirectly through suicidal ideation at Wave 2, and whether these associations varied as a function of acquired capability for suicide. Perceived burdensomeness significantly predicted later suicidal behavior through suicidal ideation, whereas the indirect effect from thwarted belongingness was not significant. The indirect effect from perceived burdensomeness to subsequent suicidal behavior was stronger at higher levels of acquired capability for suicide. The indirect effect from thwarted belongingness was not contingent on acquired capability for suicide. These findings provide partial longitudinal support for the IPTS among LGBTQ+ youth and underscore the importance of acquired capability for suicide in understanding escalation from suicidal thoughts to action. Implications for future research are discussed.

Suicide‐related fatality has disproportionately risen among racial–ethnic minoritized youth in the past decade and remains at high levels for white youth. With schools as a primary context for adolescent development, this study examines associations of direct and vicarious racial‐ethnic‐based victimization and school connectedness with past‐year active suicidal ideation (SI) and psychological distress during adolescence. Cross‐sectional data from the 2017 to 2019 California Health Kids Survey on 400,369 high school students in 1010 schools, matched with administrative data, analyzed via multilevel logistic regression. Adolescents who experienced direct racial‐ethnic‐based victimization (i.e., racism) in the past year had increased odds of active suicidal ideation and psychological distress, while adolescents with higher individual‐level school connectedness had reduced odds of each outcome. Controlling for personal experiences of racism, attending schools with higher proportions of students reporting bullying or harassment on school property based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin at least once in the past year (i.e., vicarious racism) was associated with increased odds of active suicidal ideation (AOR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.19–3.88) and psychological distress (AOR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.09–2.86). Being in a school with higher mean scores of school connectedness (i.e., vicarious connectedness) was associated with increased odds of active SI and psychological distress, particularly among students with low levels of individual‐level school connectedness. This study identifies direct and school‐level, vicarious racism and connectedness to the educational system as potential pathways underlying suicidal thoughts and psychological distress among both racial–ethnic minoritized and white youth, which warrant attention.

Introduction: Recent studies have indicated that sleep is fundamental for adolescents' physical and mental health. Although it is known that context influences sleep, the impact of school climate on sleep duration remains understudied. Methods: Using a large, diverse, population‐based sample of adolescents attending California high schools ( N = 277,954; data collection: 2018–2019) and applying two statistical methods suggested for quantitative research using an intersectionality approach (linear regressions with interaction terms and Exhaustive Chi‐square Automatic Interaction Detection [ECHAID]), this study examined associations between school climate and sleep duration among adolescents at the intersection of multiple social positions. Results: Similar proportions of participants were assigned male and female at birth. The sample was racially and ethnically diverse (54.1% Latina/x/o). The large majority of participants were straight (85.4%) and cisgender (97.7%). On average, participants slept 6.75 h/night. Positive school climate was associated with longer and adequate sleep duration; however, this association varied across social positions, such that the effects of school climate on sleep duration were attenuated among adolescents who held some minoritized social positions. ECHAID results indicated that those reporting the lowest averages of sleep duration not only perceived school climate as negative but also held multiple minoritized identities. In contrast, those who perceive their school climate as positive are overrepresented among those who reported the highest averages of sleep duration. Conclusion: Findings underscore the impact that schools have on adolescents' sleep health. Our study indicates that adolescents with multiple minoritized social positions face additional challenges impacting their sleep. Future interventions should focus on strategies to improve school climates, given that they would benefit a large number of students.

Discrimination is a risk factor for compromised mental health among sexually diverse people. However, few studies examine the implications of experiencing discrimination tied to multiple identities for sexually diverse adults’ prospective mental health. This study takes an intersectional perspective to investigate how attributing discrimination to multiple identities is related to psychological distress over 2 years. Differences by age cohorts are also examined. Three intersectional hypotheses were tested: the additive hypothesis (i.e., multiple forms of discrimination incrementally worsen mental health), the inuring hypothesis (i.e., discrimination does not worsen mental health beyond one form), and the multiplicative hypothesis (e.g., experiencing two forms of discrimination worsen mental health twice as much as one form). Discrimination and attributions to discrimination were independently associated with baseline psychological distress, supporting the additive hypothesis, whereas the multiplicative hypothesis was supported for changes in psychological distress. Results from this study provide novel information about prospective associations between multiple attributions to discrimination and mental health for sexually diverse adults.

Homophobia is a societal process that marginalizes non-heteronormative identities through attitudes, behaviors, and institutional norms. In digital spaces, these dynamics appear as online homophobia, including homophobic cyberbullying. While prior research has examined cultural aspects of homophobia, fewer studies have explored how adolescents perceive its presence online. This study presents findings from 17 focus groups involving 95 adolescents (Mage = 17.9, SD = 1.3; 77.8% girls, 21.1% boys) conducted in Northern Italy. Participants reflected on online homophobic behavior and the factors that sustain it. Thematic analysis revealed two overarching themes: (1) the influence of cultural and social norms, and (2) personal beliefs and attitudes. Subthemes included the role of family and religion, peer conformity, social validation, gendered expectations, and reliance on stereotypes. Adolescents described online homophobia not only as an extension of offline prejudice, but also as a way to signal belonging or avoid marginalization. Participants also discussed emotional motives such as fear, insecurity, and frustration as key drivers behind online homophobic behavior. These findings point to the need for educational and policy interventions that address the normalization of homophobic language, foster critical digital literacy, and promote online spaces that support gender and sexual diversity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) exposure, perceived discrimination, and anxiety and depressive symptoms in sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) adults in the United States. Methods: Respondents ( n = 4445) from a national Qualtrics research panel completed a web-based survey. Guided by the stress proliferation (mediation model) and stress sensitization (moderation model) models, we examined the relationships between ACEs and perceived discrimination and the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in adulthood. Results: Cumulative ACEs exposure was positively associated with everyday discrimination scale (EDS) scores. ACEs and EDS scores had a significant direct association with anxiety and depressive symptoms. We found support for EDS as a mediator for anxiety ( β = 0.12, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms ( β = 0.14, p < 0.001) and for ACEs as a moderator of the relationship between EDS and anxiety ( β = −0.04, p = 0.004) and depressive ( β = −0.05, p = 0.001) symptoms. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both stress proliferation and stress sensitization likely contribute to disparities in anxiety and depressive symptoms in SGM adults. This finding supports the integration of social safety and minority stress perspectives regarding health disparities in SGM populations. Exposure to early life adversity likely alters neurodevelopment, which in turn increases awareness of the lack of social safety in adulthood, reduces capacity to cope with minority stress exposure, and ultimately contributes to increased anxiety and depressive symptoms. Prevention efforts should focus on building positive and compensatory childhood experiences.

Homophobic cyberbullying and other forms of anti‐LGBTQ+ bias among adolescents are an emerging and concerning form of online bias‐based aggression. However, little research has explored its prevalence and correlates. This study aims to address this gap by investigating homophobic cyberbullying through the theoretical lens of a socioecological stigma framework. Specifically, it examines the association between individual factors (socio‐emotional competencies), contextual factors (homophobic social norms), and homophobic cyberbullying. Additionally, it explores the moderating effect of socio‐emotional competencies on the relationship between homophobic social norms and social dominance orientation on homophobic cyberbullying. Parallel (in‐school and online) survey samples ( N = 3807) were collected among Italian youth ( M _age = 16.69; SD = 1.97). A series of multiple linear regression models with two‐way and three‐way interaction effects were tested. Descriptive results indicated that heterosexual boys reported higher rates of homophobic cyberbullying. The regression analysis demonstrated that socio‐emotional competencies were negatively associated with homophobic cyberbullying, whereas homophobic social norms were positively related to it. Furthermore, socio‐emotional competencies mitigated the impact of homophobic social norms on the relationship between social dominance orientation and homophobic cyberbullying. The study underscores the urgent need for evidence‐based interventions that challenge and reshape gendered and heteronormative beliefs perpetuating homophobic cyberbullying, particularly among adolescent heterosexual boys, by encouraging critical reflection on masculinity and sexuality within educational settings and peer networks.