Immediate Release
January 15, 2019
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Rachel Dowd
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Sexual minority youth have a higher prevalence of bullying and attempted suicide than non-sexual minority youth.
New research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that anti-bullying laws that explicitly protect youth based on sexual orientation are associated with fewer suicide attempts among all youth, regardless of sexual orientation.
In addition, enumeration of sexual orientation was associated with fewer experiences of stressors, such as feeling unsafe at school and being physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
While fewer youth attempted suicide in states with sexual orientation-inclusive anti-bullying laws, more sexual minority youth experience bullying and other stressors, and they are more likely than non-sexual minority youth to experience suicide ideation and attempts—whether or not their state has explicit sexual orientation protections.
“Enumeration of sexual orientation in state anti-bullying laws is a first step,” said lead author Ilan H. Meyer, a senior public policy scholar at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. “These laws are associated with fewer suicide attempts but do not eliminate disparities between sexual minority and non- sexual minority youth. Additional interventions, such as training teachers, instituting school-based support groups, and promoting social connectedness between youth and their communities may help reduce disparities in exposure to bullying and its ill effects for sexual minority youth.”
In the U.S, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws aimed at reducing bullying. Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia have enumerated anti-bullying laws that explicitly prohibit harassment and victimization of students based on sexual orientation.
The report, “Sexual Orientation Enumeration in State Antibullying Statutes in the United States: Association with Bullying and Suicide Ideation and Attempts Among Youth” appears in LGBT Health and is co-authored by Ilan H. Meyer, Ph.D., Distinguished Senior Public Policy Scholar at the Williams Institute, Feijun Luo, Ph.D., Economist at CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Bianca D.M. Wilson, Ph.D., Rabbi Barbara Zacky Senior Public Policy Scholar at the Williams Institute, and Deborah M. Stone, ScD, MSW, MPH, Behavioral Scientist at CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more via Williams Institute
Sexual Orientation Enumeration in State Antibullying Statutes in the United States: Associations with Bullying, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempts Among Youth
LGBT Health. 2019 Jan;6(1):9-14. doi: 10.1089/lgbt.2018.0194. Epub 2019 Jan 14.
Abstract
PURPOSE:
The aim was to assess the associations of antibullying U.S. state statutes that enumerate sexual orientation with exposure to bullying and other stressors and with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in sexual minority and non sexual minority youth.
METHODS:
We analyzed data from the 2015 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey, representative of 9th through 12th grade students attending public and private schools in the United States. We reviewed each state's antibullying statutes and classified them on enumeration.
RESULTS:
Antibullying state laws that enumerate sexual orientation were associated with lower risk for suicide attempts and serious attempts requiring medical attention and lower risk for forced sexual intercourse. They were also associated with feeling safe at school or on the way to or from school. Results did not differ by sexual orientation.
CONCLUSIONS:
Enumeration of sexual orientation was associated with reduced stressors and suicide attempts, but it is insufficient to remove significant disparities based on sexual orientation. Additional policies and practices are required to address persistent sexual orientation disparities in exposure to bullying and suicidal behavior.
KEYWORDS:
bullying; law and policy; schools; sexual minority youth; suicide attempts