LGBTQ Youth-Serving Organizations: What Do They Offer and Do They Protect Against Emotional Distress?

Abstract

School-based support organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth have been well studied as a protective factor, but little research has explored LGBTQ youth-serving organizations in community settings, which may be similarly beneficial. The current study describes the features and services of community-based LGBTQ youth-serving organizations and tests how the extent of LGBTQ youth-serving organizational resources is associated with emotional distress among LGBQ youth in those communities. Data from the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey were merged with community-level data from the LGBTQ Environment Inventory for multilevel logistic regression, to test whether living in an area (i.e., 15-minute drive-time buffer) with some or many LGBTQ organizational resources was associated with lower odds of internalizing symptoms, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among 2454 LGBQ youth in 81 communities. Website searching identified 25 LGBTQ youth-serving organizations in the state, offering an average of 3.8 conveniences and services (range: 1–6). Approximately three-quarters of LGBQ youth lived in an area with no LGBTQ youth-serving organizations and approximately 15% had many organizational resources. Living in an areas with resources was associated with lower odds of emotional distress, even after adjusting for metropolitan location. For example, the odds of high internalizing symptoms were significantly lower for girls living in communities with many LGBTQ youth organization resources compared to those living in areas with no resources (OR = 0.83, CI = 0.70–0.99). Findings suggest that living in an area with organizational resources for LGBTQ may be beneficial for the emotional well-being of LGBQ adolescents in those areas.