Popis: |
Background: Gender and sexual minority adolescents experience greater symptoms of distress than their peers, but little is known about broader aspects of their wellbeing. Method: 37,978 adolescents (aged 12-15, attending 165 secondary schools) completed surveys reflecting hedonic, eudaimonic, and complete state frameworks of wellbeing. Structural correlated factors models were used to assess gender identity and sexual orientation wellbeing inequalities.Results: Wellbeing inequalities among gender and sexual minority respondents were routinely substantially greater than those concerning other characteristics (e.g., socio-economic disadvantage). Non-binary and gay/lesbian or bi/pansexual adolescents were subject to the most substantial disparities. Variation was evident across wellbeing domains, with (for example) substantially greater disparities in symptoms of distress than mental wellbeing for females, bisexual, and gay/lesbian young people in the complete state model. Conclusions: Improved monitoring and prevention efforts, combined with services that can better identify and meet the wellbeing needs of LGBTQ+ youth (e.g., access to high quality gender affirmative care), are urgently needed. |