LGBTQ bullying: a qualitative investigation of student and school health professional perspectives

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners have recently called for greater involvement of school health professionals (SHPs; e.g., school psychologists, nurses, guidance counselors) in interventions to identify and address bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) students. To inform future interventions, this study explored the perspectives of LGBTQ students and SHPs on LGBTQ bullying and SHPs’ responses to LGBTQ bullying. Five online, asynchronous focus groups were held in 2018 with 28 LGBTQ students and 19 SHPs recruited from Massachusetts, US. Methods were guided by Rapid Qualitative Inquiry. Results revealed a disconnect in perceptions of LGBTQ bullying among LGBTQ students versus SHPs, with LGBTQ students reporting a range of often significant verbal, social, and physical bullying experiences and SHPs reporting minimal awareness of LGBTQ bullying at their schools. Transgender students reported bullying related to their gender identity, including verbal, physical, and sexual harassment, deadnaming (referred to by their birth name), and misgendering (called an incorrect pronoun). LGBTQ students of color reported bullying based on their race/ethnicity and pronounced social isolation. LGBTQ students reported mixed experiences with reporting bullying to SHPs. Intervention efforts are needed to enhance communication between LGBTQ students and SHPs, and to strengthen SHPs’ skills to respond to LGBTQ bullying.

Keywords:

• Bullying
• intervention development
• LGBTQ
• school health professionals
• qualitative

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and thank the youth and community advisory board for their contributions and collaboration on this study (alphabetical): Landon Callahan, Sonya Epstein, Opal Hines-Fisher, Lee Hoegler, Kira Houston, Karen Jarvis-Vance, Ken Rufo, and Rothsaida Sylviance.

Funding

This work was conducted with support from Harvard Catalyst & The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health Award UL1 TR001102) and financial contributions from Harvard University and its affiliated academic healthcare centers. VAE’s contributions were further supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01 DA042881). Funders were not involved in the study design; collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; write up of the report; or decision to submit the article for publication. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University and its affiliated academic healthcare centers, or the National Institutes of Health.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests. They alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

V. A. Earnshaw

Valerie A. Earnshaw is an Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware.

D. D. Menino

David D. Menino is a Clinical Research Specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.

L. M. Sava

Lauren M. Sava is a Clinical Research Specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.

J. Perrotti

Jeff Perrotti is the Founding Director of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students.

T. N. Barnes

Tia N. Barnes is an Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences and a Senior Researcher at the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy at the University of Delaware.

D. L. Humphrey

Layne D. Humphrey is the Assistant Center Director of the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy at the University of Delaware.

S. L. Reisner

Sari L. Reisner is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as well as a Research Scientist at The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health.