By Laurel White
Transgender students are more likely to seek support from school staff and less likely to seek support from their parents when compared to their cisgender peers, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and New York University.
The study, published today in JAMA Pediatrics, found among students who felt depressed or anxious, transgender students were 74% less likely than their cisgender peers to seek help from parents than adults in schools. It also found transgender students were 25% less likely than cisgender students to seek support from friends compared to adults in schools, and 48% less likely to seek support from siblings compared to adults in schools.
The study evaluated data from the 2021 Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a survey of 92,316 high school students across the state conducted as part of a nationwide initiative by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administered by the state Department of Public Instruction. In the survey, 3,957 students identified themselves as transgender.
Mollie McQuillan, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, was the lead author of the study. McQuillan says the findings show the urgent need for adequate training for school staff on how to best support transgender youth.
“We know schools are often sites of shame, victimization, and bullying for transgender students — but now we also know of their potential to serve as vital sites for support,” she says. “Like all students, trans and nonbinary students need support from multiple sources. Our results point to the critical role of PK-12 school staff in affirming and supporting trans and nonbinary students, especially when mental health concerns emerge.”
McQuillan says the findings also highlight the danger of restrictive education laws related to transgender students.
“In the last 5 years, anti-LGBTQ+ state bills have dramatically expanded in number,” says McQuillan, who co-authored a study on the proliferation of such bills earlier this year. “These bills dissolve and prevent school environments in which transgender students can seek and receive support that could save their lives.”
McQuillan co-authored the new study with Joseph Cimpian, professor of economics and education policy at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and UW-Madison School of Education doctoral students Erin Gill and Benjamin Lebovitz.
Cimpian says the study breaks new ground in understanding transgender students’ well-being.
“Our study confirms the higher rates of victimization for trans youth that we suspected from prior work, but our study also shows how trans youth are turning to teachers and other school staff for support, which is new,” Cimpian says.
In addition to its findings about social support, the analysis found transgender students reported over twice the risk of bullying, skipping school due to feeling unsafe, and feelings of not belonging at school compared to their cisgender peers. Transgender students also faced greater risk of anxiety and reported two to three times the risk of depression, self-harming behavior, considering suicide, planning suicide, and attempting suicide compared to cisgender students.
Cimpian also points out the patterns showing where transgender students seek social support were remarkably robust and held up regardless of sex, age, and race or ethnicity.
“In other words, these are strong and robust relationships, pointing to the need to prepare teachers for supporting trans youth who seek help,” he says.
The research was funded and supported by the UW–Madison Institute for Diversity Science, the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction.
Broadly, McQuillan’s research examines the intersection of educational policy, social relationships, and health of gender-expansive students and educators. Other recent studies authored by McQuillan examined the efficacy of a Wisconsin school district’s programs for supporting LGBTQ+ students, found training elementary school teachers in inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ students leads to lower disciplinary rates for all students, and outlined the harmful ways school administrators enable bullying of transgender students.
The full study, “Transgender Adolescent School Climate, Mental Health, and Adult Social Support” is publicly available here.
Note for media: McQuillan is available for interviews about this study and related topics. Please contact Laurel White at laurel.white@wisc.edu for more information.