Although family relationships play a crucial role in the wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) adolescents, few programs tackle stigma and discrimination within families, in part because of a lack of evidence on what works, researchers say.

Studies are “urgently” needed to address this question on individual, interpersonal and community levels, the authors of a research review write in Journal of Adolescent Health.

LGBTQ youth face higher risks for depression, suicide, substance use and homelessness, and those risks follow them into adulthood.

“Science shows that this type of bullying increases the risk for attempted suicide, mental health problems, drug use and homelessness,” Parker told Reuters Health in an email. “There’s an urgent need to develop policies and schemes to foster supportive homes and family environments.”

The current study developed after the researchers conducted another study about HIV and young black men who have sex with men in New York City, Parker noted. They noticed that many of men were homeless when they were teenagers, and many described being rejected and sometimes bullied by their caregivers.

For the new study, they searched three large databases of scientific literature to find publications about interventions, programs and policies that address family-based stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ youth.

The team found nine studies that met their criteria and only one that included outcome results. That one was an intervention that sought to foster attachments between parents and their lesbian, gay and bisexual children to reduce depression and suicide. It showed reductions in both conditions, but was based on only 10 participants, so the results were not statistically meaningful enough to prove what works.

“Our initial idea for this paper was an extensive ‘systematic review’ . . . but I quickly realized that there just wasn’t very much good science to gather,” Parker said.

In future research, Parker’s team would like to develop targeted interventions that are sensitive to social factors such as culture, religion, race and class. They also want to focus on large-scale social change.

Read more at: Reuters