How are sexual minority students doing in New Zealand?

Almost four percent of young people reported being attracted to others of the same sex or to both sexes, in a recent study.

The Youth'12 study was conducted by researchers from the Adolescent Health Research Group (AHRG) at the University of Auckland.

This proportion is comparable to that found in the previous surveys conducted by the AHRG of secondary school students in 2001 and 2007. The results of the report were launched at the University of Auckland today.

In 2012, the majority (53.1 percent) of sexual minority students (young people attracted to the same sex or both sexes), had 'come out', but only 14.4 percent of these young people said that they could easily talk to their family about their sexuality.

"Most sexual minority students reported feeling positive towards school and described caring relationships with their parents and friends," says lead author Dr Mathijs Lucassen. "Sexual minority students were also generous with their time in that they were more likely, than their opposite-sex attracted counterparts, to work as volunteers in their communities."

"Although most sexual minority students are doing well, there are significant and harmful disparities when these students are compared to their opposite-sex attracted peers," says Dr Lucassen. "For example, sexual minority youth are more likely to be bullied, be physically harmed, to be afraid that someone would hurt or bother them at school, and over forty percent had significant depressive symptoms."

Dr Lucassen says that "reducing the disparities for sexual minority students in New Zealand must focus on creating safe and nurturing environments which build upon the young person's strengths and assets, and refrains from viewing the young person as having a problem because they are not heterosexual."

Provided by University of Auckland