Effects of School Policies and Programs on Violence Among All High School Students and Sexual and Gender Minority Students.

BACKGROUND: Youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) and/or transgender/gender nonconforming (TGNC) are at increased risk of violence. School policies and practices may mitigate this risk. METHODS: Researchers merged data from the 2016 New Mexico School Health Profiles and the 2017 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey. Researchers employed multivariable logistic regression to test the associations between school-level measures and violence outcomes. RESULTS: Genders and sexualities alliances (GSAs) were associated with reduced odds of lifetime forced sex among all, heterosexual cisgender, and LGB students, reduced odds of sexual violence among heterosexual cisgender students, and reduced odds of dating violence among LGB students. Inclusive sexual health education was associated with reduced odds of lifetime forced sex among LGB and TGNC students, reduced odds of sexual violence among LGB students, and increased odds of dating violence among heterosexual cisgender students. Inclusive teacher training was associated with increased odds of lifetime forced sex among TGNC students. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Inclusive sexual health education and the presence of active GSAs may have the greatest potential for reducing violence, especially among LGB and TGNC students. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the important role of school policies and practices in addressing violence.

Family, School, and Peer Support Are Associated With Rates of Violence Victimization and Self-Harm Among Gender Minority and Cisgender Youth.

PURPOSE: Gender minority (GM) youth experience high rates of violence, and research on protective factors to reduce violence victimization and self-harm is lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine how family, school, peer, and community support influenced rates of violence victimization and self-harm among GM and cisgender adolescents. METHODS: This research uses data from the 2017 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (N = 18,451). The main independent variable was gender, dichotomized into GM and cisgender, and the secondary independent variables were family, school, community, and peer support. Dependent variables were sexual and dating violence, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury. Logistic regression models were built for the four dependent variables, including demographics, support scores, and interaction terms between gender and support. RESULTS: Six percent of high school students in New Mexico identified as GM are unsure of their gender. GM students experienced higher rates of violence and self-harm and lower levels of support than cisgender students. Among all students, family support was associated with lower odds of sexual violence and self-harm, while school support was associated with lower odds of dating violence and nonsuicidal self-injury. There were significant interactions between gender, violence, and support. The protective effects of support were less pronounced for GM students than for cisgender students. CONCLUSIONS: Family and school support are associated with lower rates of some forms of violence and self-harm among adolescents. Additional support may be necessary to reduce harm among GM adolescents, who are at higher risk for violence and its sequelae.