Categories: News

Study reveals experiences of sexual minority students

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1202" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2014&sol;12&sol;SND10-wk1-Sexual&lowbar;orentation&lowbar;300x225&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND10-wk1-Sexual orentation 300x225" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"225" &sol;>In a recent study almost four per cent of young people reported being attracted to others of the same sex or to both sexes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Youth&&num;8217&semi;12 study was conducted by researchers from the Adolescent Health Research Group &lpar;AHRG&rpar; at the University of Auckland&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This proportion is comparable to that found in the previous surveys conducted by the AHRG of secondary school students in 2001 and 2007&period; The results of the report were launched at the University of Auckland on Monday&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In 2012&comma; the majority &lpar;53&period;1 per cent&rpar; of sexual minority students &lpar;young people attracted to the same sex or both sexes&rpar;&comma; had &&num;8216&semi;come out&&num;8217&semi;&comma; but only 14&period;4 per cent of these young people said they could easily talk to their family about their sexuality&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Most sexual minority students reported feeling positive towards school and described caring relationships with their parents and friends&comma;&&num;8221&semi; lead author Dr Mathijs Lucassen said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Sexual minority students were also generous with their time in that they were more likely&comma; than their opposite-sex attracted counterparts&comma; to work as volunteers in their communities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Although most sexual minority students are doing well&comma; there are significant and harmful disparities when these students are compared to their opposite-sex attracted peers&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Dr Lucassen said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;For example&comma; sexual minority youth are more likely to be bullied&comma; be physically harmed&comma; to be afraid that someone would hurt or bother them at school&comma; and over 40 per cent had significant depressive symptoms&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Dr Lucassen said &&num;8220&semi;reducing the disparities for sexual minority students in New Zealand must focus on creating safe and nurturing environments which build upon the young person&&num;8217&semi;s strengths and assets&comma; and refrains from viewing the young person as having a problem because they are not heterosexual&&num;8221&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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