How laws and support affect mental health of LGBTQ adolescents and young adults
Supportive and restrictive factors and mental health in LGBT adolescent and young adult populations
This project looks at how recent laws and levels of community support affect the mental health of LGBTQ teens and young adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Canton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11392817 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I take part or share data, researchers will gather information about my mental health and my experiences with support or discrimination. They will link surveys of young LGBTQ people with records of state bills and large national surveys (like the BRFSS) to map how policy environments change over time. The team focuses on late adolescence and early adulthood, when mental-health problems often begin and care patterns form. Their approach combines personal reports and public-policy data to identify which contexts help or harm young LGBTQ people's well‑being.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are LGBTQ adolescents and young adults roughly ages 12–20 who can report on their mental health and experiences with supportive or discriminatory policies.
Not a fit: People outside the target age range or those seeking immediate clinical care should not expect direct treatment benefits from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide policies and programs to reduce mental-health harms and improve supports for LGBTQ youth.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have linked discriminatory laws to worse mental health in LGBTQ people, but this grant's focus on the recent surge of bills and on adolescents and young adults is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Canton, UNITED STATES
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. — Canton, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Charlton, Brittany Michelle — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
- Study coordinator: Charlton, Brittany Michelle
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.