Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

The Trevor Project recently released findings from its first longitudinal study, “Project SPARK Interim Report: A Longitudinal Study of Risk and Protective Factors in LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health” and found that the mental health of this demographic continues to deteriorate as a result of discrimination, inability to meet basic needs, and abuse.

“While many of the findings in this study are devastating, they are not surprising. LGBTQ+ young people in this country continue to face elevated levels of stigma and political rhetoric, which take a serious toll on their mental health and well-being,” Jaymes Black, CEO, said.

Black noted how this longitudinal study tracks LGBTQIA+ respondents over a longer time frame, which helps the organization gain a better understanding of what many in the community are already very much aware of: “the manner in which LGBTQ+ youth are treated in this country harms their health and risks their lives, and it is only getting worse,” Black said.

The report is based on the experiences of 1,689 respondents ages 13-24, and surveyors collected data every six months from September 2023 to March 2025. For the first year of data collection, mental health challenges among respondents drastically increased:

• Recent anxiety symptoms increased from 57% to 68%
• Symptoms of depression rose from 48% to 54%
• Suicidal ideation jumped from 41% to 47%

“While past-year suicide attempts among the sample declined from 11% to 7%, the rate observed remains higher than national estimates for cisgender heterosexual youth,” according to the study. “Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) youth and participants ages 13 to 17 reported the poorest mental health outcomes and represented the highest risk for suicide. TGNB youth were nearly twice as likely to report anxiety (70% vs. 42%) and suicidal ideation (53% vs. 28%) compared to cisgender peers, a pattern that persisted a year later.”

About 33% of respondents in the study said they were physically harassed or threatened because of their sexual orientation. Furthermore, about 40% of TGNB survey participants reported being physically harassed or threatened due to their gender identity.

“Approximately 55% of participants reported being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, and an estimated 66% of transgender and nonbinary respondents experienced discrimination based on their gender identity. These rates remained consistent both at the onset of data collection, and one year later,” according to the Trevor Project.

Attempts to alter a Queer youth’s orientation or identity through unethical practices, like conversion therapy, among others, is catastrophic to youth today. The study reported how the rates in which LGBTQIA+ youth were threatened with conversion therapy doubled from 11% to 22%, and that “exposure to these practices” jumped from 9% to 15%.

Dr. Ronita Nath, Vice President of Research at the Trevor Project, said this report is the first-of-its find in following the mental health impacts of LGBTQIA+ youth over an extended time period, and that “by linking repeated measures of risk and protection to later anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, the study moves beyond prevalence to demonstrate which experiences precede changes in health.”

Supportive networks and actions, and LGBTQIA+-affirming spaces, improved mental health outcomes and reduced the risk of suicide over time, according to the Trevor Project.

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