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LGBTQ+ college students who receive mental health and LGBTQ+-specific services through their institution are significantly less likely to have serious or suicidal thoughts, according to a new survey by The Trevor Project.
LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Prevention, a nonprofit organization, surveyed 33,993 LGBTQ+ college students attending two-year institutions, four-year institutions, and graduate schools. Participants were recruited through targeted social media advertisements.
About a third of the respondents said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 7 percent said they had tried to kill themselves during that time. Both figures were higher for students of color and those who identify as transgender or non-binary.
But access to mental health or LGBTQ+ support services in college reduced suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, the study found. Among students who did not receive mental health services, 46 percent said they had seriously considered suicide and 22 percent said they had attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 32 percent and 6 percent, respectively, among students who received such services.
Access to LGBTQ+-specific resources showed a similar benefit: 30 percent of students with college LGBTQ+ services had seriously considered suicide, and 6 percent had attempted suicide, compared to 41 percent and 9 percent, respectively, of those without access.
The researchers who conducted the study said they were not surprised by the findings. But the results highlight why it’s so important for colleges and universities to invest in mental health and LGBTQ+ services.
“It lets colleges know how important this stuff is,” said Maicia Price, director of research science for the Trevor Project. I think sometimes colleges have a reputation that says, ‘We’re really open and we’re really affirming, we’re really supportive of LGBTQ+ people,’ but I think it’s important that they do their best to show that. “If this is the case, young people will not ask.”
Most LGBTQ+ students—86 percent—reported that their college offers mental health services. But some said they faced barriers to accessing those services: 33 percent said they didn’t feel comfortable going, 29 percent said their campus mental health center had a long waiting list, and 17 percent cited privacy concerns.
63 percent of LGBTQ+ college students report that their university has some type of LGBTQ+-specific resources available to LGBTQ+ students.
The survey found that 89 percent of respondents consider their school to be LGBTQ+ welcoming—that is, “How accepting is your college/university of LGBTQ people?” They answered “somewhat” or “a lot” to the question. (Other possible answers were “not at all” and “a little”). That number was even lower among students who said their campus didn’t offer LGBTQ+-specific services, with 45 percent of the group saying their college didn’t accept LGBTQ+ students.
Shane Mendez Windemeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, an organization that aims to make colleges safer for LGBTQ+ individuals, said many college students are surprised to learn that their school is accepting, which typically varies from institution to institution.
“Most LGBTQ students report that the climate in college—their sense of belonging, safety, and inclusion—is better than what they experienced in high school. And overall, there is evidence that campus climate has improved over the past 15 years,” Windmeier wrote in an email. However, this development is not consistent across institutions. At a time when student learning and persistence are central concerns for higher education leaders, reports of harassment and discrimination against transgender students continue to be particularly problematic.
Recently, Windmeier said, LGBTQ+ college students have reported incidents of harassment in the classroom as well as cyberbullying and racist and sexist language in conjunction with homophobic and transphobic rhetoric.
“Research on campus climate in general and LGBTQ climate in particular point to negative consequences of hostile climates for students’ learning, college, and mental health and well-being,” he said.
They speculated that the data might be positive because the Trevor Project used a research method known as “snowball sampling” to cast a wide net and hope that the study’s objectives would respond.
According to Windmeyer, this method is important when researching LGBTQ+ people — there’s no good way to target only individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, but it can lead to inflated results, he said.
“It’s a constant challenge that we have, because sometimes when you ask questions, you go [only] Find people who want to share, which can skew the results one way or the other,” he said In higher ed In an interview.
Price, of the Trevor Project, admits the method may have flaws, but says the findings are still important.
“All research is subject to bias, not only from the participants, but also from factors such as the design of the questions or the distribution of the study,” he said. “While there are ways to reduce bias, there is no way to completely eliminate it from research. We may have a large sample of college students who have negative experiences on campus and turn to online communities for reassurance and support. There is no way to compensate for students’ positive experiences on campus in this analysis, because That’s exactly what we’re looking at. Different assessments of LGBTQ acceptance can find different amounts of support and can’t be compared to one.
Overall, Windemeyer agreed that the survey is useful, especially to inform administrators whether to start or continue investing in supports for LGBTQ+ students.
“Responsible campuses that have support services for LGBTQ students, students there are not at higher risk for suicide and other forms of depression,” he said. “They’re more likely to get better grades; if they have that support, they’re going to be successful in their studies.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free, confidential 24-7 service that provides support, information and local resources to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them. Call 988 for help.
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