Trans students are more likely to turn to school staff for support than their own families These students have twice or more the risk of bullying and feeling isolated at school They also have two to three times the risk of depression, self-harming behavior and suicidal thoughts or actions MONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- transgender students are more likely to turn to school staff than their own parents for support, a new study finds. Trans teens feeling depressed and anxious are 74% less likely to seek help from parents than from adults at school, compared to cisgender kids, researchers reported Aug.
26 in the journal . Transgender high school students also are 25% less likely to seek support from friends and 48% less likely to ask siblings for help, researchers found. “We know schools are often sites of shame, victimization and bullying for transgender students -- but now we also know of their potential to serve as vital sites for support,” said lead researcher an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Like all students, trans and nonbinary students need support from multiple sources,” McQuillan added in a university news release. “Our results point to the critical role of PK-12 school staff in affirming and supporting trans and nonbinary students, especially when mental health concerns emerge.” For the study, researchers analyzed risk behavior survey data on more than 92,000 Wisconsin .