The Psychological Benefits of Gay-straight Alliances for Rural Youth Attending High School: A Proposal for Rural Colorado High Schools

Date of Award

Winter 3-25-2017

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Jennifer E. Cornish

Second Advisor

Terri M. Davis

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

LGBTQ+, Youth, Public high schools, Mental health issues

Abstract

Adolescents with minority sexual and gender identities are at an increased risk for victimization, violence, mental health issues, and suicidality (Balsam, Beauchaine, Mickey, & Rothblum, 2005; Cochran, Sullivan, & Mays, 2003; Toomey, Ryan, Diaz, Card, & Russell, 2013). Individuals with LGBTQ+ identities may experience unique vulnerabilities living in rural communities compared to their urban peers. Gay Straight Alliances (GSA’s) provide numerous benefits to LGBTQ+ youth and may be particularly beneficial for rural youth (Heck, Flentje, & Cochran, 2013; McCormick, Schmidt, & Clifton, 2014; Walls, Kane, & Wisneski, 2010). GSA’s are less common in rural communities, yet the literature does not provide a model for establishing GSA’s in rural high schools. The current paper integrates the literature on best practices for supporting LGBTQ+ youth with current practices in Eagle County, Colorado public high schools to form a comprehensive plan for supporting LGBTQ+ students at these and other rural, Colorado high schools.

Copyright Date

2-27-2017

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. Permanently suppressed.

Rights Holder

Christina R. Burg

Provenance

Received from Author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

29 pgs

File Size

513 KB

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