What Are We Learning About the Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Experiences of Sexuality and Gender Diverse Students? New Findings From the Future Proofing Study
Tracks
Ballroom 1 - In Person & Online
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 |
1:25 PM - 1:45 PM |
Overview
Dr Lyndsay Brown, Black Dog Institute
Details
Presentation Key Learnings
1. The demographic landscape of gender and sexuality diverse adolescents.
2. The significant mental health disparities and lived experience differences between gender and sexuality diverse students and heterosexual and cisgender students.
3. Potential practices (and policies) to support and protect the mental health and well-being of gender and sexuality diverse adolescents.
Speaker
Dr Lyndsay Brown
Research Officer
Black Dog Institute
What Are We Learning About the Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Experiences of Sexuality and Gender Diverse Students? New Findings From the Future Proofing Study
Abstract
In recent times, an increasing number of adolescents are identifying as sexuality and gender diverse, reflecting societal progress in acceptance and self-identification. This presentation delves into insights extracted from the Black Dog Institute’s groundbreaking Future Proofing Study, offering a comprehensive analysis of the experiences of sexuality and gender diverse adolescents. This is the first time worldwide, valid data about sexuality and gender diversity have been collected in a population-representative sample this young (N=6,388, average age 13.9 years). By acknowledging the unique challenges faced by sexuality and gender diverse adolescents and engaging with their experiences, this research seeks to contribute significantly to academic discourse and to more inclusive and empathic social policies, educational practices, and mental health interventions.
Key aspects to be explored in this presentation include demographic diversity, that is, the prevalence of sexuality and gender diversity, including insights into specific gender and sexual orientation identifiers, and how these demographics vary across different school types and locations. The focus will also be on the mental health disparities between sexuality and gender diverse students and their cisgender and heterosexual peers, including rates of anxiety, depression, suicidality, self-harm, and eating disorders. Furthermore, to extend our understanding of the specific challenges faced by gender and sexuality diverse students, we report on some of their lived experiences, including their encounters with bullies, their peer relationships, and their sleep patterns. The presentation concludes by contemplating potential proactive measures to enhance support systems for these students.
Key aspects to be explored in this presentation include demographic diversity, that is, the prevalence of sexuality and gender diversity, including insights into specific gender and sexual orientation identifiers, and how these demographics vary across different school types and locations. The focus will also be on the mental health disparities between sexuality and gender diverse students and their cisgender and heterosexual peers, including rates of anxiety, depression, suicidality, self-harm, and eating disorders. Furthermore, to extend our understanding of the specific challenges faced by gender and sexuality diverse students, we report on some of their lived experiences, including their encounters with bullies, their peer relationships, and their sleep patterns. The presentation concludes by contemplating potential proactive measures to enhance support systems for these students.
Biography
Dr Lyndsay Brown is a research psychologist on the Black Dog Institute's Future Proofing Study, a large, comprehensive and longitudinal study of adolescent mental health. Previously she taught English and Society & Culture in a secondary school in Sydney and worked as a community psychologist in not-for-profit organisations supporting asylum seekers, refugees and adolescents.
Moderator
Julia Cutler
Senior Event Manager
AST Management
Shinade Hartman
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AST Management
Presenter
Lyndsay Brown
Research Officer
Black Dog Institute
Session Chair
Judy Kynaston
General Manager
Be You - Early Childhood Australia
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