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Social Sciences
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The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Young People
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The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Young People

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Gender Studies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1724

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Melinda McCormick

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Social Work, Western Michigan University, 1903 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5354, USA
Interests: inclusiveness and diversity; the experiences of LGBTQ+ young adults; the experiences of women in higher education in the STEM fields

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

More young people are identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community, sharing information within their social circles about their gender identity and sexuality. At the same time, providers of physical and mental health services are noticing that they are not as well-prepared and educated as they need to be to properly address the health and wellbeing of these young people; this may result in them falling through the cracks of the system that is meant to help assure their health and wellbeing.

These young people are growing up in a world where language about and representation of their identities are increasingly prominent, which is helpful for them. At the same time, however, there is a huge cultural backlash in some countries, which is resulting in more barriers to them receiving the health and mental healthcare they require to thrive.

This Special Issue aims to focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of these people in their present contexts. What are they experiencing now, and how can we, as providers of health and mental health services, help them thrive during this time of increasing precarity?

Dr. Melinda McCormick
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • LGBTQ+
  • wellbeing
  • young people
  • emerging adults
  • gender
  • identity

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 600 KiB  
Article
Protective Factors for Marijuana Use and Suicidal Behavior Among Black LGBQ U.S. High School Students
by DeKeitra Griffin, Shawndaya S. Thrasher, Keith J. Watts, Philip Baiden, Elaine M. Maccio and Miya Tate
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(5), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050267 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 84
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between protective factors, marijuana use, and suicidal behavior among Black LGBQ U.S. adolescents. Methods: A subsample of 991 Black LGBQ adolescents was derived from the 2019 Combined High School YRBSS dataset. Suicidal behavior was measured as [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the association between protective factors, marijuana use, and suicidal behavior among Black LGBQ U.S. adolescents. Methods: A subsample of 991 Black LGBQ adolescents was derived from the 2019 Combined High School YRBSS dataset. Suicidal behavior was measured as suicidal planning and/or previous suicide attempts. Marijuana usage gauged lifetime consumption. The protective factors included sports team participation, physical activity, eating breakfast, hours of sleep, and academic performance. Age and sex were entered as covariates. Multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) was used to address missing data, and pooled binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Academic performance and hours of sleep were significantly associated with lower odds of suicidal behavior and lifetime marijuana use. Sports team participation was associated with higher odds of lifetime marijuana use. Being female was linked to higher odds of marijuana use, while older age was associated with lower odds. Discussion: For Black LGBQ youth, academic performance and sufficient sleep may function as protective factors. Participating in sports was associated with greater odds of risk behaviors, highlighting the need to assess the experiences of Black LGBQ youth in sports. Implications and Contributions: Our findings inform school programming, policy, and practice by identifying academic support and sleep health as intervention areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Young People)
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16 pages, 237 KiB  
Article
Pronouns, Pin Badges and Pride: LGBTQ+ Student Experiences of Inclusion and Belonging in a UK University
by Catherine Lee, Nicola Walshe and Hannah Branton
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(12), 662; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13120662 - 10 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1059
Abstract
This article provides findings from a small-scale project undertaken to understand the student experience of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (LGBTQ+) student community in a large post-92 university in England. Focus groups were conducted with students that explored areas of [...] Read more.
This article provides findings from a small-scale project undertaken to understand the student experience of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (LGBTQ+) student community in a large post-92 university in England. Focus groups were conducted with students that explored areas of student life, including support, the campus environment, and belonging. A social constructivist theoretical perspective underpins the article. Students develop common knowledge via social processes that are powerfully influenced by cultural factors that are constantly in a state of flux. The article also rejects essentialist delineations of LGBTQ+ gender and sexuality and subscribes instead to a Butlerian framework of identity where behaviours associated with gender and sexuality are instruments of regulatory regimes. Even within a university culture that is inclusive and welcoming, opportunities were not always provided for LGBTQ+ students to speak about their personal lives and identities authentically, and university classrooms did not always feel like safe places for students. Whilst staff were generally helpful and supportive to their LGBTQ+ students, many lacked the knowledge and skills to confidently meet the needs of these students, particularly those identifying as trans and non-binary. The recommendations include calls for universities to commit to high-quality mandatory training for staff so that trans and non-binary students in particular are supported by staff appropriately equipped to support their needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Young People)

Review

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19 pages, 519 KiB  
Review
Wrapping a Rainbow Around the Medicine Wheel: A Scoping Review of Social and Emotional Wellbeing for Queer, Trans, and Two Spirit Native Youth
by Autumn Asher BlackDeer
Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(5), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14050274 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
Queer, trans, and Two Spirit Native youth are rarely represented in research, with extant evidence continuously pointing out health disparities and pathologizing individual characteristics rather than accounting for the structural aspects of colonial society. Global Indigenous scholars have put forth a holistic conception [...] Read more.
Queer, trans, and Two Spirit Native youth are rarely represented in research, with extant evidence continuously pointing out health disparities and pathologizing individual characteristics rather than accounting for the structural aspects of colonial society. Global Indigenous scholars have put forth a holistic conception of social and emotional wellbeing that integrates Indigenous sovereignty, strengths, and cultures, positing that Indigenous health is a culturally bound phenomenon. To move beyond these deficit-based framings and collate available scholarship, the present work presents the results of a scoping review surrounding the social and emotional wellbeing of queer, trans, and Two Spirit Native youth. Informed by the Indigiqueer ecological medicine wheel, the present work includes a breadth of health and wellbeing concepts for QT2S Native youth across micro and macro domains. A total of 27 articles met the criteria and were reviewed to (a) illuminate current experiences of QT2S Native youth, (b) provide recommendations for health providers to better support QT2S Native youth clients, and (c) suggest future research and data recommendations to build towards a holistic understanding of social and emotional wellbeing for queer, trans, and Two Spirit Native youth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Young People)
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