Robert C. Klein

Much of what is known about the psychological and developmental experiences of LGBTQ+ youth of color comes from a deficit‐based perspective, seeking to identify what they lack, rather than what assets they hold. The current study takes a strengths‐based perspective and examines positive, developmentally relevant assets among LGBTQ+ youth of color and how these assets interact to shape well‐being. More specifically, the study assesses the relationship between LGBTQ+ microaffirmations and well‐being and the potential moderating role of LGBTQ+ identity in that relationship. In the study, 156 LGBTQ+ youth of color aged 13–26 ( M _age = 20.32 years, SD = 2.27; 16 men/cis men/male, 32 women/cis women/female, 25 transgender men, 25 transgender women, 49 nonbinary/gender nonconforming, 9 unsure or other gender identity) were recruited from LGBTQ+ youth‐serving organizations in New York State and completed surveys in the summer of 2024. Significant positive correlations were observed between LGBTQ+ microaffirmations and psychological, emotional, and social well‐being. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ centrality and private regard moderated the relationship between LGBTQ+ microaffirmations and well‐being outcomes. Associations were generally significant at average and high levels of centrality and private regard, although the association with social well‐being was significant only at high levels of private regard. LGBTQ+ public regard was not a significant moderator. Results shed new light on two promotive resilience assets that LGBTQ+ youth of color possess and highlight the important synergistic relationship between LGBTQ+ microaffirmations and identity, and their association with well‐being.

Although adolescence is theorized to be a critical period for identity development, little is known about how gender identity, specifically gender centrality and private regard, develops among adolescents. The current study assessed trajectories of gender centrality and private regard across five waves of data from Grade 9 through Grade 10 among cisgender adolescents from the United States ( M _age = 14.1 years; N = 374; SD = 0.41, 139 boys and 235 girls). Additionally, the study explored how gender centrality, private regard, and their development were related to later psychological and social well‐being. Initial levels of gender centrality and private regard did not differ by gender. However, boys showed declines in their levels of gender centrality and private regard, whereas girls remained stable. For girls, higher initial levels of gender centrality and private regard were associated with greater psychological and social well‐being. Additionally, increases in positive regard were associated with increased psychological well‐being one year later. Boys' gender identity was unrelated to their well‐being. Findings underscore the importance of assessing gender identity as a developmental construct among middle adolescents and the implications that gender identity can have on the well‐being of adolescents.

Anxiety often rises after the transition to high school, yet little is known about how these changes occur for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adolescents who face unique minority stressors. This study examined longitudinal differences in anxiety trajectories between LGBTQ and cisgender heterosexual adolescents and evaluated whether self-esteem served as a protective factor. Participants were 367 adolescents (M_age = 14.05 years; 60.5% cisgender girls; 46.6% White, 18.8% Black, 17.4% Asian, 5.7% Arab/Middle Eastern/North African, 5.2% Multiracial, 3.5% Hispanic/Latinx; 22% [n = 80] LGBTQ, 78% [n = 287] cisgender heterosexual) from 38 Michigan high schools. Anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale) were assessed across five waves during ninth and tenth grade. Multiple-group latent curve modeling evaluated group differences and self-esteem's predictive role. LGBTQ adolescents entered high school with significantly higher anxiety symptoms than their cisgender heterosexual peers. Although their symptoms declined over time, they remained significantly higher than those of cisgender heterosexual adolescents, whose anxiety levels were stable. Higher initial self-esteem predicted lower initial anxiety for both groups; however, decreases in anxiety over time emerged only among LGBTQ adolescents with self-esteem at least 1 SD above the group mean. Self-esteem emerges as a critical protective factor against the development of anxiety symptoms. Given heightened anxiety symptoms for LGBTQ adolescents following the transition to high school, interventions bolstering self-esteem may be especially beneficial for reducing anxiety in this population.

Growing up is rarely easy, yet adolescents and young adults today are reporting distress at rates never seen before. We propose this trend can be traced to societal forces that accelerate and suppress development, resulting in developmental anxiety (i.e., worry about meeting adult milestones on time, if ever). Drawing on foundational theories from developmental and family sciences, we introduce hurries and waits as umbrella terms for these simultaneous and contradictory forces and explain how developmental anxiety may arise from the tension they place on young people. We next identify strengths that both young people and their families can use to navigate hurry–wait tension, and close with an agenda for future research. This updated, systems‐based lens on the transition to adulthood prepares the field to help young people achieve the fulfilling adult life that previous generations looked forward to with greater promise.

Anxiety symptoms following the transition to high school are a challenge faced by many adolescents, yet few studies have examined its longitudinal development—especially among LGBTQ adolescents who face unique minority stressors. This study used multiple-group latent curve modeling to assess anxiety symptom trajectories in a sample of 367 high school students (Mage = 14.05 years; 22% [n = 79] LGBTQ, 78% [n = 288] cisgender heterosexual) over five waves during 9th and 10th grade. Results indicated that LGBTQ adolescents entered high school with significantly higher anxiety symptom levels than their cisgender heterosexual peers but experienced a significant linear decline in anxiety symptoms over time. In contrast, anxiety symptoms remained stable for cisgender heterosexual adolescents. Additionally, for both groups, initial levels of self-esteem predicted lower initial anxiety symptoms and steeper declines in anxiety symptoms; however, its association with later anxiety symptoms weakened for LGBTQ adolescents. These findings suggest that LGBTQ adolescents experience significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms compared to their cisgender heterosexual peers as they transition through the first years of high school but that these increased levels of anxiety symptoms can be mitigated by the bolstering of a more robust self-esteem.