For the sixth year in a row, the Trevor Project has come out with its U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. The 2024 survey helps bring to light the experiences of more than 18,000 youth ages 13 to 24 who identify somewhere under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.
The national survey calls attention to some of the challenges that teens and young adults are facing today. These challenges have a very real effect on mental health: 39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and 12 percent actually attempted suicide in the past year. In addition, 66 percent of LGBTQ+ youth had experienced recent symptoms of anxiety, and 53 percent had experienced recent symptoms of depression.
However, the survey also highlighted positive impacts on mental health and well-being, including supportive communities, schools, and families, that every parent and caregiver should be aware of.
What impacts the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth?
Many different factors, including community acceptance, bullying, home life, and politics, can positively or negatively shape the mental health of teens and young adults. Here are some important findings from the Trevor Project survey:
- A whopping 90 percent of the LGBTQ+ young people surveyed said that recent politics had negatively impacted their well-being.
- Because of LGBTQ+-related politics and laws, 45 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth and/or their families have considered moving to a different state.
- LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities.
- Almost half (49 percent) of LGBTQ+ teens ages 13-17 reported being bullied in-person within the past year, and 35 percent had been cyberbullied.
- LGBTQ+ young people who experienced bullying of any kind reported three times the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who were not bullied.
- More than half (54 percent) of trans and nonbinary young people found their school to be supportive of their gender identity/expression, and those who did reported lower rates of attempting suicide.
According to the survey, 84 percent of LGBTQ+ young people wanted mental health care, but half of them were not able to access it. Those who wanted mental health care, but were unable to get it, gave these top three reasons:
- Afraid to talk about their mental health concerns with someone else (42 percent)
- Could not afford it (40 percent)
- Did not want to have to get their parent’s or caregiver’s permission (37 percent)
What ALL parents and caregivers can do
Luckily, there is a lot that parents and caregivers can do to provide a nurturing environment for teens and young adults of any gender identity or sexual orientation. Strong support from a trusted adult will give them the resilience they’ll need to face the obstacles and challenges that will come up. You don’t have to understand everything about your child’s identity or gender expression in order to be an actively supportive and loving presence.
Most of the 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people surveyed agreed that these are the ways that parents, relatives, friends, and other people in their lives can best show their support and acceptance:
- Trusting that I know who I am (88 percent of respondents)
- Standing up for me (81 percent)
- Not supporting politicians that advocate for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation (77 percent)
- Looking up things about LGBTQ+ identities on their own to better understand (62 percent)
- Respecting my pronouns (59 percent)
- Showing support for how I express my gender (57 percent)
- Asking questions about LGBTQ+ identities to better understand (56 percent)
- Accepting my partner (55 percent)
Actions like these really do have a tangible impact. For example, the survey found that when all of the people they live with respected their pronouns, transgender and nonbinary youth had lower rates of attempting suicide.
Be sure to check in with your teen in an open, nonjudgmental way about how you can support their mental health. Also be aware of these important resources for LGBTQ+ or questioning youth and their families — there is support out there, even if you’re not sure about your child’s identity, or your child is still figuring it out.
Whether you have an LGBTQ+ child or not, you can actively be a part of creating a supportive community for all. Teach your child kindness and empathy, and model interacting respectfully with people of all identities. Make sure your kid knows what to do if they witness someone else being bullied or harassed. And if your child is ever suspected of cyberbullying, work with them to get at the root of the behavior and repair any harm done.
Although the barriers facing young people today are distressing, hope shines through. In this year’s survey, respondents also had a chance to share encouraging words with other LGBTQ+ youth. Scroll down in the survey to read through some of these inspiring and insightful messages!
