Disability Status and Associations with Family Social Support and Identity Disclosure among Gender Minority Youth

Abstract

Despite evidence that indicates sexual and gender minority (SGMY) youth with disabilities experience heightened health disparities compared to SGMY without disabilities, it remains unclear how potential social institutions (e.g., families) may be uniquely related to the health of SGMY with disabilities. To better understand the intersection of gender minority identity and disability status, the current study examined how disability relates to experiences of both general and SGM-specific family social support, gender identity disclosure to family, and stress related to gender/sexuality identity disclosure among gender minority youth (GMY; n = 4,502) ages 13–17. GMY with disabilities reported receiving less SGMY-specific and general family support compared to GMY who did not report disabilities. Identity disclosure and disclosure stress differences by disability status were also detected among GMY, such that GMY who reported one or multiple disabilities reported greater sexual and gender identity outness. These findings underscore the importance of better understanding intersectional identities among SGMY with disabilities in the context of family experiences.

Keywords:

• Disability
• LGBTQ+
• SGM
• family support
• identity disclosure
• gender minority

Disclosure statement

Caroline Salafia is currently supported by T32 CA00946 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center with additional support/resources from their Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748).