Writing Themselves In 4
The health and wellbeing of LGBTQA+ young people in Australia
2020-2021.
In 2019, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University, with support from Rainbow Health Australia and Rainbow Network, surveyed 6,418 LGBTQA+ people aged 14 to 21 about their experiences with education, homelessness, harassment, assault, mental health, community connections, and more. This landmark study is the largest of its kind ever conducted in Australia, providing an unprecedented insight into the lives of LGBTQA+ young people.
The national report presents these findings alongside key recommendations for action.
Summary reports
These reports summarise key findings from Writing Themselves In 4 that are specific to the participants who were residents in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW), South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC) at the time of completion. They are designed to complement the national report by providing data relating to specific topics broken down at the state/territory level.
These reports cover issues that can at times represent challenges for LGBTIQA+ young people (such as mental health, discrimination or abuse) as well as aspects of life that can enhance health and wellbeing (such as supportive relationships and community engagement).
Writing Themselves In:
- New South Wales summary report (PDF, 5MB)
- South Australian summary report (PDF, 5MB)
- Victorian summary report (PDF, 5MB)
- Australian Capital Territory summary report (PDF, 5MB)
For access to these reports in an alternative format, please contact us.
Additional analyses and outputs
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ factsheets
- Rainbow Realities
- Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of LGBTQA+ people with disability: a secondary analysis of data from two national surveys.
Journal articles
The Writing Themselves In 4 research team is currently preparing a range of journal articles that focus in on specific issues in more detail. These will be added to this webpage as they are published online.
If you are unable to access the links below, please contact arcshs@latrobe.edu.au.
Our data finds that access to gender affirming care is associated with reduced psychological distress, decreased recent suicidal ideation, and increased gender euphoria. Legal gender affirmation is correlated with lower psychological distress and increased gender euphoria. Participants desiring hormone therapy but not accessing it reported higher psychological distress.
Exploring trans youths’ future orientations as a product of experiences of dis/affirmation
Trans youths’ future orientations are important but seldom discussed within the literature. Compared to their cisgender peers, the developmental trajectories of this group are characterised by considerable change, and highly subject to prevailing political climates. Here, we explore trans youths’ future orientations as a product of present-day experiences of identity-affirming factors.
Residential location can significantly impact the mental health, wellbeing, and community involvement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) young people. While research has explored geographical differences in LGBTQ adult wellbeing, limited knowledge exists regarding LGBTQ young people’s experiences. Using a large Australian cross-sectional survey of 6,620 LGBTQ individuals aged 14–21, this study examined the associations between residential location and wellbeing outcomes.
Understanding the distribution of recent deliberate self-harm among young LGBTQ+ Australians
Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a high prevalence experience for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary and queer (LGBTQ) youth. These behaviours are associated with significant morbidity and suicidality and constitute a risk factor for future impairment. Presently, there is little understanding about how DSH burden is distributed among LGBTQ youth in Australia, and how engagement is shaped by biographic factors.
This study examined the correlations between different types of gender affirmation - medical, legal and social - and various health and wellbeing outcomes among trans young people in Australia.
Homeless LGBQ+ youth were found to face high levels of bullying at school, which leads to increased distress and higher truancy rates. This study suggests that addressing bullying and supporting these youth are crucial for helping them stay engaged in their education and reducing the risk of future homelessness.
This qualitative study analysed the open-text responses of 4751 young people in response to the question 'What makes you feel good about yourself?’ The findings suggest the importance of ensuring access to mental health services and social/support programs while also acknowledging young people’s agency and the significance of everyday, informal acts which support them to achieve desires for connection, acceptance, contribution, belonging and self-expression.
This study identified factors associated with both lifetime and recent experiences of homelessness among LGBTQA+ youth. Analyses also found associations between recent experiences of homelessness and experiences of harassment, alcohol consumption, and psychological distress.
A large proportion of this sample of LGBTQA+ young people with disability reported experiences of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past 12 months. The study explores factors associated with these experiences and highlights an urgent need for preventing and addressing experiences of abuse in this population.
LGBTQA+ young people who report being a part of an affirming educational institution or workplace experience, not only lower psychological distress, but also greater subjective happiness. These findings were true for both cisgender sexual minority and trans and gender diverse young people.
Experiencing homelessness was associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption and higher prevalence of experiencing verbal, physical and sexual harassment, but only modestly associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Homelessness risk and burden is unevenly distributed among LGBTQ+ youth and is linked to outcomes which may potentiate future homelessness.
Religious Conversion Practices and LGBTQA + Youth
This paper examines how the experience of conversion practices aimed at changing a young person’s sexuality or gender identity is associated with poor mental health outcomes, providing evidence in support of legislation that bans these practices.
This paper examines the factors and forces that shape the experience of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among this group of young people within the Writing Themselves In 4 sample. It describes how verbal, physical and/or sexual harassment or assault are strongly associated with an increased likelihood of suicidal ideation or attempt. The paper also demonstrates how those from a religious family or household, and those living in regional or rural areas were more likely to have this experience.
This paper examines the patterns of illicit drug use among LGBTQA+ young people, including who might be most likely to perceive their own use as problematic.
Young trans people face elevated rates of poor mental health and well-being outcomes. Affirming their gender in ways that are meaningful to them has important implications for these outcomes. However, limited research has examined the role of feeling supported to affirm their gender.
Key figures slide set
This slide set provides an accessible means of utilising key figures and data included in the Writing Themselves In 4 National Report. The slides are available to download under a CC-By attribution for use in presentations relating to LGBTQA+ health and social wellbeing. Individual slides can be copied in their entirety but should not be edited, and must be attributed to ARCSHS.
Animated video
Youth Advisory members share what the findings mean to them - Watch video
Replay the launch webinar
The launch event features two keynote presentations:
- The study's lead researcher Associate Professor, Adam Bourne to present the key findings
- Is from co-author Marina Carman, Director of Rainbow Health Australia.
Then followed by a discussion from Associate Professor Jen Power - Watch video
Thank you to our panelists:
- Rory Blundell
- Oliver Keane
- Jasmine Phillips
- Deb Tsorbaris
- Tim Bavinton
Highlights from the media
- "Coming out is getting easier for LGBTQA+ youth, but not for everyone" an article from ABC News Online
- "National survey finds safety and affirmation essential fundamental needs for LGBTQA+ young people" an article from ABC News Online
- "Tips for looking for roommates as an LGBTQI+ person" an article from ABC Everyday interviewing lead investigator Associate Professor Adam Bourne on the study findings and community board advisor Starlady
- Well Well Well on JOYFM a podcast interviewing in depth the lead investigator Associate Professor Adam Bourne
- Queer View Mirror on RRRFM a podcast interviewing two young trans and queer advocates and the lead investigator Associate Professor Adam Bourne discussing the findings of Writing Themselves In 4.
- "Over 80 percent of LGBTQA+ young people experience high levels of psychological distress, new aussie survey finds Mental health crisis among young LGBTQA Australians" an article from MTV News Australia.
Funding
Writing Themselves In 4 received generous support from:
- The Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet
- The Australian Capital Territory Government Office for LGBTIQ+ Affairs
- The New South Wales Department of Health
- SHINE SA, with support from the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist in South Australia.
Researchers
Adam O. Hill, Anthony Lyons, Jami Jones, Ivy McGowan, Marina Carman, Matthew Parsons, Jennifer Power, Adam Bourne