Synonyms
Definition
The harmful effects that are caused by the victimization of sexual minorities.
Introduction
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) individuals are often the victims of abuse because of their sexual orientation. Victims of homophobic abuse may suffer several negative psychological outcomes, including difficulty maintaining scholastic achievement, drug abuse, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Birkett et al. 2009; Poteat et al. 2011). These negative effects stem from a wide array of consequences, including fear of physical abuse, social stigmatization and exclusion, decreased school attendance and performance, and negative attitudes toward peers and schools.
Outcomes of Homophobic Abuse
Research has shown that LGBT high school students experience high levels of harassment from their heterosexual peers, which leads to truancy levels that are significantly higher than average (Birkett et al. 2014). In fact, the Massachusetts...
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References
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Birkett, M., Russell, S. T., & Corliss, H. L. (2014). Sexual-orientation disparities in school: The meditational role of indicators of victimization in achievement and truancy because of feeling unsafe. American Journal of Public Health, 104, 1124–1128.
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Massachusetts Department of Education. (2004). 2003 Massachusetts youth risk behavior survey results. Malden.
Poteat, V. P., Mereish, E. H., DiGiovanni, C. D., & Koenig, B. W. (2011). The effects of general and homophobic victimization on adolescents’ psychosocial and educational concerns: The importance of intersecting identities and parental support. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58, 597–609.
Russell, S. T., Seif, H., & Truong, N. (2001). School outcomes of sexual minority youth in the United States: Evidence from a national study. Journal of Adolescence, 24, 111–127.
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Thompson, J. (2017). Outcomes of Homophobic Abuse. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2494-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2494-1
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