A new Northwestern University study has found that most adolescents would agree that the situation involving LGBT youth and bullying does, in fact, get betterbut that it's still a major hurdle for some.
The studywhich involved 248 youthsfound that harassment, discrimination and even physical/sexual assault affect about one-third of the adolescents. It also revealed that said bullying can lead to long-term problems such as major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
More than 84 percent of the respondents experienced decreasing levels of victimization over the four years. However, 10.3 percent experienced significant increases in bullying, and 5.1 percent maintained high levels of victimization over the four years.
"We tend to think that society is evolving but we can't just accept this narrative that 'it gets better' and think it gets better for everyone," said Brian Mustanski, an associate professor in medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the new Northwestern Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing.
Mustanski is the lead author of the study, published Jan. 21 in The American Journal of Public Health. The study was considered unique because it looked at not only the number of victimizations but also the severity of the incidents.
Northwestern press release at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Northwestern-study-Some-LGBT-youth-still-face-bullying/54199.html .