Pride month offers the chance to talk about issues faced by LGBTQ+ young people who are over two-and-a-half times more likely to have mental health concerns than those who identify as heterosexual.As part of HeadStart research, Year 11 students were asked gender identity and mental health questions. The key findings revealed cisgender boys reported the highest level of well-being, while young people who were questioning their gender identity reported the lowest level of well-being. Stress was highest among questioning participants and lowest for cisgender boys.
The Anna Freud Centre has created this useful booklet which explores some of the issues faced by LGBTQ+ young people and provides information about where they can get additional mental health support.
It’s important to ensure LGBTQ+ young people receive appropriate support to help them deal with these challenges and improve their well-being and mental health. You can learn more about supporting child mental health from the Safeguarding Networks resources.
