8.O. Workshop: Developmental assets and resilience in gender minority youth: Towards a balanced research agenda
Authors:   Organised by: Health Promotion Research Centre - NUI Galway (Ireland),   Chair persons: András Költő (Ireland)
Published: October 2021

Since the late 1990s, health inequalities among sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth have been increasingly recognised and investigated. However, most studies have been conducted in North America, while the research landscape in Europe is bleak. Gender minority (e.g. transgender, non-binary, genderqueer and genderfluid) youth receive even less attention than their sexual minority peers (e.g. those identifying as lesbian, gay and bisexual). A growing number of researchers recognise that the studies so far have concentrated on the disproportionate burden SGM youth face across various health outcomes. This maintains a discourse depicting SGM young people as ‘victims' and ‘at risk'. This individualistic approach is problematic because it often fails to consider macro-level determinants of these health inequalities, including societal attitudes towards SGM individuals; processes of structural stigma; lack of visibility and positive role models; and erasure of SGM identities.

There is evidence that many SGM youth live happy and balanced lives and have developed resilience in face of adversities. There are developmental assets and positive features associated with being an SGM young person, for instance ‘coming out growth' and a sense of authenticity; support from family and peers; sense of belonging and connectedness to LGBTI+ communities; and civic engagement and community work. We argue that future research should consider these and other developmental assets and positive factors and embrace them in their design.

This does not mean that risk factors or existing health inequalities and their determinants (e.g. structural stigma and minority stress) should be downplayed or minimised. A balanced approach is needed, which strives to also understand the empowering factors that contribute to SGM youth resilience, and developmental ‘assets' which help them to grow and flourish.

This workshop will present work of key researchers in the area of gender minority youth research in Europe and North America, including findings from evidence synthesis, methodological developments and concrete evidence on developmental assets. The first presentation by Elena Vaughan et al. will showcase a two-phased landscape and knowledge gap study which synthesises European research with SGM youth. Concepcion Moreno-Maldonado et al. will present evidence on how community engagement among gender minority youth in Spain is associated with health-related quality of life. Ashley Taylor et al. will introduce findings from the Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey on the importance of having positive role models for gender minority young people. In the final presentation, Elizabeth M. Saewyc will showcase how gender minority youth were identified in the British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey. Following the presentations, we look forward to discussing the findings and future perspectives on health research with gender minority youth with attendees.

Key messages

Research on gender minority youth has largely concentrated on risk factors and maintained a ‘victim’ discourse, while developmental assets and sources of resilience receive less attention. Researchers from Europe and North America present evidence on the positive aspects of gender minority young people’s lives and argue for a more balanced perspective for future studies.