The paradox of progress for sexual and gender diverse youth

In this essay, we explore diversity in sexual and gender identities, with a focus on implications of the current politicized moment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning youth. As youth come out at younger ages, their personal identity development collides with the adolescence period characterized by peer influence, stigma, and possible victimization. We consider the changing and diverse experiences of coming out in adolescence for sexual and gender diverse youth. The current social and political moment offers possibilities for new identities, yet anti-LGBTQ + legislative and policy actions have crucial implications for health and wellbeing for youth

The Impact of Community Size, Community Climate, and Victimization on the Physical and Mental Health of SGM Youth

Paceley MS, Fish JN, Thomas MMC, Goffnett J. The Impact of Community Size, Community Climate, and Victimization on the Physical and Mental Health of SGM Youth. Youth & Society. 2020;52(3):427-448. Copyright © 2020, © SAGE Publications. doi:10.1177/0044118X19856141Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience high rates of victimization leading to health disparities. Community size and community climate are associated with health outcomes among SGM youth; however, we lack studies that include them as covariates alongside victimization to understand their collective impact on health. This study utilized minority stress theory to understand how community context shapes experiences of victimization and health among SGM youth. SGM youth in one Midwestern U.S. state completed an online survey (n = 201) with measures of physical health, mental health, community context, and victimization. Data were analyzed via multiple regression using a path analysis framework. Results indicate that perceived climate was associated with mental, but not physical, health; Community size was unrelated to health outcomes. Victimization mediated the association between community climate and mental health. Findings are discussed in light of current literature and implications for research and practice are shared

Be YOU!: A collaborative effort to address minority stress for LGBTQ + youth in school settings

LGBTQ youth often experience unsafe school climates and are at greater risk for compromised mental health relative to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. The psychological mediation model posits that these health inequities are produced by minority stress, which operates through several key mechanisms: rumination, emotion regulation, and coping. Efforts toward designing social services that might address these mechanisms, and thus improve LGBTQ youth well-being, are limited. Informed by empirical research and therapeutic practices, Be YOU! was conceived as a school-based empowerment program that provides LGBTQ youth with an accessible, safe space where they build skills to reduce rumination and promote emotion regulation and coping strategies for dealing with minority stressors. Developed collaboratively among a local LGBTQ youth center, a local school-based community organization, and university researchers, the Be YOU! partnership effectively circumvented barriers to accessing social services for LGBTQ youth. Findings from the pilot program evaluation showed that youth participation was associated with increased emotion regulation and decreased rumination. The practical impact on and positive feedback from LGBTQ youth suggest that there are measurable benefits and longterm promise in strategic multi-sector partnerships that address social services needs of LGBTQ youth and strengthen their ability to navigate minority stress

“Each week feels like a mountain”: The impact of COVID-19 on mental health providers’ well-being and clinical work.

Given the long-term nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative we identify and address the needs of mental health care providers as they serve their communities during the pandemic. This article describes the psychological burnout, trauma, and exhaustion experienced by mental health providers in the United States, as well as the meaning derived from being part of the COVID-19 public health response. Based on these findings, we offer recommendations to support mental health care providers to prevent and address burnout, promote personal wellness, and foster sustainable work practices.The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed a tremendous strain on health care providers. Although there is a burgeoning body of literature on how COVID-19 has impacted frontline health care workers (i.e., providers treating COVID-19 patients), little attention has been dedicated to second-line workers (i.e., providers treating the mental health of people impacted by COVID-19). In this article, we present findings from a thematic analysis of open-text responses (n = 136) examining how COVID-19 shaped both the well-being of second-line workers, specifically mental health providers, as well as their clinical work in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Results indicated that mental health providers were experiencing significant COVID-19-related burnout and poor physical and mental health outcomes. Participants described diminished negative effects on the quality of their clinical care from the burnout and trauma associated with COVID-19. Many also demonstrated resilience, identifying the duality of both negative (e.g., exhaustion) and positive (e.g., pride in helping others) meaning derived from their second-line work experiences. We conclude with recommendations for preventing and addressing burnout among mental health professionals in the era of COVID-19 and subsequent health emergencies

Professional Expectations of Provider LGBTQ Competence: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

Introduction: Mental and behavioral health professional organizations use their governing documents to set expectations of provider competence in working with LGBTQ+ clients. Method: The codes of ethics and training program accreditation guidelines of nine mental and behavioral health disciplines (n=16) were analyzed using template analysis. Results: Coding resulted in fives themes: mission and values, direct practice, clinician education, culturally competent professional development, and advocacy. Expectations for provider competency vary greatly across disciplines. Conclusion: Having a mental and behavioral health workforce that is uniformly competent in meeting the unique needs of LGBTQ populations is key for supporting the mental and behavioral health of LGBTQ persons.This work was supported by the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (grant U48DP006382). N.D.W. also acknowledges support from the Southern Regional Education Board and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Program. J.N.F. also acknowledges support from the Maryland Population Research Center, by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant P2CHD041041). This work does not expressly represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

What motivates community mental and behavioral health organizations to participate in LGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings?

LGBTQ+ populations show elevated rates of poor mental health and substance use relative to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts but often experience stigma and marginalization when seeking mental health care. Mental and behavioral health organizations and therapists recognize a need for LGBTQ+ cultural competency training opportunities and are interested in participating in these trainings. Professional organizations and state licensing bodies should consider policies that require accredited graduate programs and continuing education opportunities to include LGBTQ+ training and competencies.The constantly evolving language, understanding, and cultural context regarding the mental health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender diverse individuals (LGBTQ+) require mental health providers to obtain LGBTQ+ cultural competency training to be affirmative and effective with this population. Unfortunately, many providers are not obtaining this ongoing training and mental health disparities continue to plague LGBTQ+ populations. Guided by the Consolidation Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we conducted eight focus groups with community mental and behavioral health organization (MBHO) administrators (e.g., directors, clinical supervisors) and therapists to explore what factors facilitated or inhibited their adoption and implementation of a multicomponent LGBTQ+ cultural competency training program that required administrator and therapist participation in multiple learning sessions over several months (i.e., workshop, clinical consultation, and organizational technical assistance). Results from template analysis supported CFIR-aligned themes, including characteristics of individuals, inner setting, outer setting, and process, and two additional codes—marketing and other/previous training opportunities—emerged from the focus group data. Findings suggest that therapists are motivated to engage in such a program because they want to feel more efficacious, and administrators see the benefits of LGBTQ+ training programs for their clientele and marketing. Barriers to adoption and implementation include cost and personnel resistance, although participants believed these barriers were surmountable. Emphasizing therapist efficacy, clientele need, and benefits for marketing mental and behavioral health services could motivate MBHOs’ and therapists’ adoption and implementation of LGBTQ+ cultural competency training.This work was supported by the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center cooperative agreement no. U48DP006382 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Any interpretations and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and may not reflect those of the CDC

The diversity of people’s relationships with biodiversity should inform forest restoration and creation

Forest restoration/creation are a policy focus worldwide, with initiatives pledging to plant billions of trees. While there is an emphasis on providing ‘the right tree in the right place’, we need to understand for whom the trees are right. Such social dimensions are frequently overlooked, despite being critical to successful forest restoration/creation. We used Q-methodology to examine what forest biodiversity attributes (e.g. functions, behaviors, colors, smells) people (N=194) relate to and how in Britain. We found that shared public perspectives on biodiversity attributes are multifaceted, influenced by personal experience and vary across taxa. This heterogeneity highlights the importance of gaining a richer understanding of human-nature relationships, as restoration/creation initiatives need deliver biodiverse forests to accommodate the plurality of preferences brought to bear upon them. Based on our findings, emphasizing biodiversity in forest restoration/creation should contribute to greater use of, comfort in, and meaningful engagement with, forests in the future by a wider set of publics

Human wellbeing responses to species’ traits

People rely on well-functioning ecosystems to provide critical services that underpin human health and wellbeing. Consequently, biodiversity loss has profound negative implications for humanity. Human-biodiversity interactions can deliver individual-level wellbeing gains, equating to substantial healthcare cost-savings when scaled-up across populations. However, critical questions remain about which species and/or traits (e.g. colours, sounds, smells) elicit wellbeing responses. The traits that influence wellbeing can be considered ‘effect’ traits. Using techniques from community ecology, we analyse a database of species’ effect traits articulated by people, to identify those that generate different types of wellbeing (physical, emotional, cognitive, social, spiritual and ‘global’ wellbeing, the latter being akin to ‘whole-person health’). Effect traits have a predominately positive impact on wellbeing, influenced by the identity and taxonomic kingdom of each species. Different sets of effect traits deliver different types of wellbeing. However, traits cannot be considered independently of species because multiple traits can be supported by a single species. Indeed, we find numerous effect traits from across the ecological community can elicit multiple types of wellbeing, illustrating the complexity of biodiversity experiences. Our empirical approach can help implement interdisciplinary thinking for biodiversity conservation and nature-based public health interventions designed to support human wellbeing