School climate is an important construct in research on adolescents. Yet, no known studies have evaluated whether the measured school climate constructs are equivalent across lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ), and heterosexual students as well as sex and grade levels. This study assessed measurement equivalence of a second‐order school climate construct across 1) sexual identity and sex among cisgender adolescents and 2) sexual and gender identity and grade level among cisgender and transgender adolescents. Data come from a California statewide survey of middle and high school students. Measurement equivalence was supported. This study reinforces prior findings on sexual and gender minority disparities and sheds light on an interesting pattern of school experiences across grades that deserves further investigation.
This article presents a narrative review about the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youths in Portuguese schools. The Portuguese context and social climate towards LGBTQ people were presented and a review of existing legislation, policies and interventions focusing on LGBTQ youth was conducted. Results from social science research with this population were examined and complemented with data from a recent survey. Pervasiveness of prejudice and discrimination and the concurrent need to manage the visibility of LGBTQ identities both in school context and in the family were confirmed. Support from school is not always guaranteed, and evidence of anti-bullying policies that explicitly mention sexual orientation and gender identity is still scarce. Some implications for future practice and research are drawn.
This chapter documents the lecosecambiano@roma project, a collaborative initiative among researchers, political leaders, celebrities, and representatives of LGBTQI associations in Italy to study and combat homophobic bullying in Roman secondary schools. The chapter describes the project and presents results from a study of the interventions in schools. The authors describe interactions with students, the public's reactions, and the obstacles encountered in implementing this program across schools in Rome. The chapter also includes a discussion of key lessons from this project and plans for future strategies to create safe and supportive schools for LGBT and all students. Through a description of the lecosecambiano@roma project, the authors illuminate what homophobic bullying means in Italy, what obstacles may arise from planning anti-homophobic bullying projects, and why combating homophobic bullying is of paramount importance in the Italian context
AbstractResearch on happiness in preadolescence and adolescence has been limited regarding the sources of happiness. The present study aims to explore such sources in preadolescents and adolescents through a multi-method and multi-informant approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 77 family triads: children (age range: 11–19; M = 13.90, SD = 2.70; 61% female), mothers (M = 47.50, SD = 4.35), and fathers (M = 50.53, SD = 5.30). The triads were asked to define happiness from children's perspective, describe what makes children happy, and indicate children's levels of happiness. Using quantitative data, preadolescents exhibited higher individual happiness levels than adolescents, and fathers reported higher levels of children's happiness than mothers. Through Thematic Analysis, five primary sources of happiness emerged: Social relationships, Family relationships, Personal interests, Achievement, and Entertainment. Social relationships was the most recurring theme across the narratives of both preadolescents/adolescents and parents. The second most recurring theme was Personal interests for preadolescents/adolescents and Family relationships for parents. Parents notably more frequently mentioned Achievement than children. Males displayed a higher propensity to report the Entertainment theme than females, while females reported the Family relationships and Social relationships themes more frequently. Preadolescents exhibited a higher occurrence of the Entertainment and Family relationships themes than adolescents. Regarding the concordance of themes between children and their parents, low overall levels of agreement were observed, all below 40%. The highest levels of concordance were found between mothers and fathers rather than between parents and children. The results could provide valuable insights to parents and educators on how to help youth promote their happiness.
Parental responses to youths' coming out (CO) are crucial to the subsequent adjustment of children and family. The present study investigated the negative parental reaction to the disclosure of same-sex attraction and the differences between maternal and paternal responses, as reported by their homosexual daughters and sons. Participants' perceptions of their parents' reactions (evaluated through the Perceived Parental Reactions Scale, PPRS), age at coming out, gender, parental political orientation, and religiosity involvement, the family functioning (assessed through the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, FACES IV), were assessed in 164 Italian gay and lesbian young adults. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relation between family functioning and parental reaction to CO. The paired sample t-test was used to compare mothers and fathers' scores on the PPRS. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to analyze the relevance of each variable. No differences were found between mothers and fathers in their reaction to the disclosure. The analysis showed that a negative reaction to coming out was predicted by parents' right-wing political conservatism, strong religious beliefs, and higher scores in the scales Rigid and Enmeshed. Findings confirm that a negative parental reaction is the result of poor family resources to face a stressful situation and a strong belief in traditional values. These results have important implications in both clinical and social fields.
