Abstract
PurposeThe purpose was to examine whether a requirement for parental or guardian consent systematically limits which lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer/questioning (LGBT2Q+) youth participate in research. MethodsA total of 60 LGBT2Q+ youth (aged 14–18 years) completed measures assessing gender and sexual minority identity, depression and anxiety, help-seeking intentions, and social support. ResultsA substantial proportion (37.6%) of youth reported that they would not have participated in the research if parental or guardian consent was required. Those who would not have participated had more negative attitudes about their sexual and gender identity, less family support, lower levels of help-seeking intentions, and higher levels of negative affect. ConclusionsThe results suggest that requiring parental or guardian consent may exclude the most at-risk youth. Policy and practice decisions regarding the health and mental health outcomes of LGBT2Q+ youth might be based on incomplete and unrepresentative data.
Highlights
The purpose was to examine whether a requirement for parental or guardian consent systematically limits which lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer/questioning (LGBT2Qþ) youth participate in research
The purpose was to examine whether a requirement for guardian consent systematically limits which LGBT2Qþ youth participate in research
The results of this study demonstrate that a substantial proportion of LBGT2Qþ youth would not participate in research requiring guardian consent, and these youths are among the most vulnerable
Summary
The purpose was to examine whether a requirement for parental or guardian consent systematically limits which lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer/questioning (LGBT2Qþ) youth participate in research. The results of this brief report suggest that requiring guardian consent may exclude the most vulnerable lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer/questioning youth. IRBs should carefully weigh the trade-offs between requiring guardian consent when researching health and mental health outcomes with lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, twospirit, queer/questioning youth. There is a need for ongoing research on the health trajectories for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer/questioning (LGBT2Qþ) youth. These youth face well-documented health disparities compared with their heterosexual and cisgender peers in areas such as mental health, problematic substance use, and sexual health [1e3].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
