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McDermott, Elizabeth, Kaley, Alex 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1147-1604, Kaner, Eileen, Limmer, Mark, McGovern, Ruth, McNulty, Felix, Nelson, Rosie, Geijer-Simpson, Emma and Spencer, Liam
(2023)
Understanding how school-based interventions can tackle LGBTQ+ youth mental health inequality: A realist approach.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20 (5).
ISSN 1661-7827
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Abstract
Globally, research indicates that LGBTQ+ young people have elevated rates of poor mental health in comparison with their cisgender heterosexual peers. The school environment is a major risk factor and is consistently associated with negative mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ young people. The aim of this UK study was to develop a programme theory that explained how, why, for whom, and in what context school-based interventions prevent or reduce mental health problems in LGBTQ+ young people, through participation with key stakeholders. Online realist interviews were conducted in the UK with (1) LGBTQ+ young people aged between 13–18 years attending secondary schools (N = 10); (2) intervention practitioners (N = 9); and (3) school staff (N = 3). A realist retroductive data analysis strategy was employed to identify causal pathways across different interventions that improved mental health outcomes. The programme theory we produced explains how school-based interventions that directly tackle dominant cisgender and heterosexual norms can improve LGBTQ+ pupils’ mental health. We found that context factors such as a ‘whole-school approach’ and ‘collaborative leadership’ were crucial to the delivery of successful interventions. Our theory posits three causal pathways that might improve mental health: (1) interventions that promote LGBTQ+ visibility and facilitate usualising, school belonging, and recognition; (2) interventions for talking and support that develop safety and coping; and (3) interventions that address institutional school culture (staff training and inclusion polices) that foster school belonging, empowerment, recognition, and safety. Our theoretical model suggests that providing a school environment that affirms and usualises LGBTQ+ identities and promotes school safety and belonging can improve mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ pupils.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Funding Information: Eileen Kaner is Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) and is supported by an NIHR Senior Investigator Award. Liam Spencer is supported by an NIHR ARC NENC Mental Health Fellowship. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | adolescence,lgbtq+ youth,mental health,gender minority,pollution,public health, environmental and occupational health,health, toxicology and mutagenesis,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,sdg 4 - quality education ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2310 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Sociology |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jan 2025 01:04 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Jan 2025 01:02 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98073 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/ijerph20054274 |
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