Bereavement in older age in LGBTIQ adults

Special issue introduction

The role of faith in the experience of grief among sexually diverse individuals: a systematic review

This Prisma-compliant review summarizes the intersections of faith, grief, and sexes, or sexualities. Following the protocol, the authors searched 11 electronic databases and three publisher collections. The search was limited to empirical research published in English between 1980 and July 2020 that explored the impact of faith, religion, or spirituality on the grief experiences of sexually diverse individuals. After reviewing abstracts and full texts, from a total of 5,670 papers, five met the selection criteria and were systematically reviewed and quality assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Thematic analysis found that rituals and rites of passage were seen to assist the sexually diverse bereaved in maintaining valuable connections with the deceased, accepting the finality of the loss, accessing social support, and making meaning through bereavement. Prominent in the reviewed literature were the strategies of spiritual coping, primarily by facilitated personal and spiritual growth, beliefs in spiritual transcendence, and spiritual resources. Of particular note, was that all the studies were conducted in the ‘90s and did not include transgender or nonbinary participants leading to significant gaps in our understanding. Further research is needed to investigate the current interplay between faith and grief across gender identity and sexuality spectrums

LGBTQ Relationships and Sex Education for Students

In this chapter, we focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) students in primary and secondary education. Diverse identities of gender and sexuality are realised primarily during adolescence, however sex education features sparsely in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools and is prominently influenced by heteronormative and cisgender ideologies. As such, LGBTQ students are at high risk of experiencing social exclusion and being exposed to discriminatory attitudes and victimisation within the school environment and the broader community. The increasing popularity of social networking sites among adolescents and the growing representation of sexual and gender diversity in popular culture over the past decade have enabled novel avenues of relationships and sex education (RSE) for LGBTQ young people. Through a critical review of the literature, we highlight the benefits and challenges of RSE through formal (school) and informal contexts (social media) for LGBTQ students. We identify gaps in the relevant literature and explore suggestions for further research in LGBTQ-inclusive RSE. We conclude the chapter by discussing the practical implications of the extant literature for LGBTQ-inclusive relationship and sex education for policymakers and educators

Distress of Tertiary Education Students in Australia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This project seeks to determine levels of distress in tertiary education students studying in Australia during the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic

“Ask me how I am doing, be kind, and encourage me to get involved”: Students’ perspectives for improving belonging in secondary schools

Despite a strong body of evidence demonstrating the importance of school belonging across multiple measures of wellbeing and academic outcomes, many students do not feel a sense of belonging to their school. Internationally, school closures caused by COVID-19 lockdowns contributed towards additional challenges for developing students’ sense of school belonging. This study examines secondary students’ sense of belonging during COVID-19 and uses a socio-ecological framework to explore students’ perspectives of school-wide practices that most effectively influence belonging in secondary schools. Participants were 367 Australian secondary students. Thematic analysis of student responses to open-ended questions in a survey yielded four themes related to teacher-level practices related to student belonging, including emotional support, support for learning, social support, and respect and inclusion. Seven themes related to school-level practices including school-wide social and emotional support, activities and opportunities for social connection, respect, equity and diversity, positive school culture, supportive and effective teachers, environment and safety, and student voice and choice. The implications of these findings are discussed and strategies are provided to enact the student-identified practices to enhance belonging in schools