Research brief: Behaviors of supportive parents and caregivers for LGBTQ youth

Parental and caregiver actions can play a pivotal role in the mental health of LGBTQ youth. Across multiple studies, a strong parent/caregiver-child relationship has been found to support good mental health among LGBTQ youth (Bouris et al., 2010). Research from the Family Acceptance Project has found that LGBTQ young adults who report high levels of family acceptance of their LGBTQ identity report higher levels of self-esteem, social support, and general health compared to their LGBTQ peers who report low levels of family acceptance (Ryan et al., 2010). LGBTQ young adults with high levels of family support are half as likely to report suicidal thoughts in the last six months and nearly half as likely to report suicide attempts (Ryan et al., 2010).