Abstract
Utilizing a school-based sample of 895,218 students aged 10-18 years old, we examine differences in students' school functioning, substance use, and mental health in schools with and without Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs). In addition, we examine whether GSA presence is associated with these outcomes for students of color and LGBTQ students. Overall, students in schools with GSAs were found to report better school functioning, lower substance use, and better mental health. For students of color, the association between the presence of a GSA and mental health and substance use was not as strong as it was for non-Hispanic white students. Further, for LGBTQ students, the association between the presence of a GSA and school functioning was not as strong as it was for non-LGBTQ students. Future research is necessary to ascertain the function of GSAs, especially for marginalized youth.
Highlights
Utilizing a school-based sample of 895,218 students aged 10–18 years old, we examine differences in students’ school functioning, substance use, and mental health in schools with and without Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs)
Students in schools with a GSA for a longer period of time reported lower lifetime alcohol use, but these associations were weaker for students of color compared to non-Hispanic white students. These results show a general pattern of a protective role of GSA presence and longer duration but that the protective associations between GSA presence and mental health and substance use were stronger for non-Hispanic white students compared to students of color
We examined differences in school functioning, substance use, and mental health for students in schools with and without GSAs for several larger racial/ethnic subgroups in the CHKS: multiracial students, Black or African American students, Asian students, and American Indian or Alaska Native students compared to non-Hispanic white students; and students who were Hispanic or of Latino origin compared to those who were not
Summary
Utilizing a school-based sample of 895,218 students aged 10–18 years old, we examine differences in students’ school functioning, substance use, and mental health in schools with and without Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs). The association between the presence of a GSA and mental health and substance use was not as strong as it was for non-Hispanic white students. We examine differences between schools with and without GSAs in student school functioning, substance use, and mental health, and whether the duration of a GSA’s presence is associated with these outcomes. In schools with GSAs, academic achievement is higher (Russell et al, 2011), and rates of suicidality, depression (Davis et al, 2014; Goodenow et al, 2006; Poteat et al, 2013; Russell et al, 2011), and substance use are lower (Heck et al, 2014; Poteat et al, 2013) In addition to these cross-sectional studies, to our knowledge there are currently two studies that attempt to tackle the issue of temporality and selection bias (i.e., students in schools with better school climates may be more likely to initiate a GSA). Rates of depression and suicidal ideation are higher among Hispanic adolescents than among Black adolescents, while findings for substance use are mixed and show important intersections with gender (Kann et al, 2018)
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