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. 2021 Apr;37(2):75-86.
doi: 10.1177/1059840520970847. Epub 2020 Dec 8.

The Impact of Positive School Climate on Suicidality and Mental Health Among LGBTQ Adolescents: A Systematic Review

April J Ancheta  1 , Jean-Marie Bruzzese  2 , Tonda L Hughes  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Positive School Climate on Suicidality and Mental Health Among LGBTQ Adolescents: A Systematic Review

April J Ancheta et al. J Sch Nurs. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents are more likely to report suicidality and worse mental health than their heterosexual peers. We conducted a systematic review to examine the relationship between positive school climate and suicidality and mental health among LGBTQ adolescents. We searched the literature using PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Six studies met inclusion criteria, and all had low to moderate risks of bias. Results indicate that LGBTQ students in schools with more positive school climates were at lower risk of suicidality and reported fewer depressive symptoms compared to students in less positive school climates. Being at the forefront of health in schools, school nurses have the opportunity to advocate for changes in school environments that promote positive mental health for all youth, including LGBTQ adolescents.

Keywords: LGBTQ; gender minority youth; health disparities; mental health; school climate; school nurse; sexual minority youth; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flow Diagram Illustrating the Literature Search Note. CINAHL stands for Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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