School Safety and Connectedness Matter for More than Educational Outcomes

Abstract

LGBTQ youth face significant health disparities compared to heterosexual peers. School-based victimization of LGBTQ youth, as well as lower levels of school connectedness and perceived safety at school, have been implicated in those health disparities. Drawing on multivariate and population-based studies throughout the United States and Canada, this chapter explores the evidence that school connectedness can lower the odds of health-compromising behaviors and disparities among different subpopulations of LGBTQ youth. The authors review strategies for fostering school connectedness among the general population and consider how these strategies might fit or might need to be adapted for LGBTQ populations. The authors highlight evidence for programs and policies that improve school connectedness among LGBTQ students that is already available, especially evidence that these programs actually work to reduce health inequities. Schools, as key environments for young people, are important contributors to health for LGBTQ youth.