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#AdolescentHealth #GenderNonconformity #LGBTQYouth #Intersectionality #YouthMentalHealth #SuicidePrevention

8/ Implications:

Address bullying in schools as a suicide prevention strategy.

Screen for depression among youth targeted for gender nonconformity.

Use intersectional approaches — a one-size-fits-all model misses key risks.

7/ These differences matter. They show how intersectional identities shape vulnerability — not every pathway to suicidality looks the same.

6/ Example findings:

Hispanic straight males: strongest full mediation (bullying + depression explained suicidality risk).

White bisexual males: partial mediation via bullying only.

Some groups (e.g., Black straight females) showed no direct PGNC → suicidality link.

5/ But — the story isn’t the same for everyone. When we tested across 32 intersectional groups (race × sex × sexual identity), effects varied.

4/ In other words: PGNC → bullying → depression → suicidality. This cascade significantly explained the elevated suicide risk.

3/ We found:

*PGNC → more bullying

*Bullying → more depression

*Both bullying & depression → higher suicidality

2/ Using data from 70,047 high school youth (2019 YRBS), we tested whether bullying and depression explain the link between PGNC and suicidality.

1/ Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for U.S. adolescents. One overlooked risk? Being perceived as gender nonconforming (PGNC).

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#Puberty #GirlsHealth #RacialEquity #RacialJustice #MentalHealth #YouthMentalHealth #NewResearch #Intersectionality #GirlsOfColor

These findings highlight the urgent need for:
• Schools & healthcare providers to screen for race-related stress.
• Culturally responsive interventions that support girls of color navigating puberty.
• Policies that confront structural racism in childhood settings.

Why? Signs of maturation in Black & Latinx girls may trigger harmful stereotypes that erase their childhood—leading to adultification, sexualization, and harsher treatment from peers, teachers, and adults.

For boys, however, puberty did not predict later experiences of discrimination.