Sexual Health Education Experiences and Recommendations from the Perspective of LGBTQ+ Youth.

Despite the well-known benefits of comprehensive sexual health education, the majority of school sexual health education curricula in the United States (U.S.) is non-comprehensive and excludes LGBTQ+ students. This exclusion may contribute to poor health outcomes in LGBTQ+ youth, with some research beginning to document these experiences and provide recommendations for curricula changes. Using a sample of LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. (ages 13-17; N = 809), this study characterizes youths' sexual health education experiences and provides curricula recommendations using a mixed methods approach. Quantitative analyses revealed that LGBTQ+ content is often excluded from sexual health education, particularly topics surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity, which youth wanted to learn more about. Furthermore, participants identified several extracurricular sources of sexual health education, including online spaces, friends, and personal experiences, which were often preferred. Qualitative analyses suggested that LGBTQ+ youth described their sexual health education as exclusive of LGBTQ+ content, often being based in abstinence, religious principles, or described as oppressive (e.g. hearing LGBTQ+ negative remarks) or suppressive (e.g. skipping required LGBTQ+ content). LGBTQ+ youth also provided recommendations for future curricula. Findings can inform curricula development and implementation, as well as policy change, to ascertain that all youth have access to inclusive and comprehensive sexual health education.

Financial stress and debt in clinical psychology doctoral students.

INTRODUTION: Few studies examine the financial burden of clinical psychology doctoral programs and its impact on achievements, stress, and mental health. OBJECTIVES: The current study sought to better understand students' financial stress and debt, and how financial stress may impact their mental health and the attainment of personal and professional milestones. METHOD: Students (N = 912) completed an online survey assessing demographics, sources of income and expenditures, mental health, and milestones. RESULTS: After accounting for yearly inflation, stipends have not kept pace with the average cost of living in the United States. Over one-third of students indicated that they had no expendable pretax income after paying for their education and typical living expenses. Additionally, over 80% reported acquiring additional debt in graduate school to offset their living expenses. Financial concerns were associated with delays in major life milestones (e.g., buying a car/house, getting married/starting a family, having children), as well as avoiding medical (34.2%) or mental (41.4%) health care, with 17.5% of participants experiencing a health crisis they could not afford while in graduate school. Financial stress was associated with an increase in time spent thinking about finances, higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms, and decreased sleep. CONCLUSION: Many clinical psychology doctoral students experience financial stress and are often unable to afford basic educational, personal living, and health care expenses, likely worsening mental health. Academic programs and leadership are encouraged to increase student stipends, improve financial transparency, provide access to health care, and alleviate financial stress and debt.

Mental health concerns and barriers to care among future clinical psychologists.

Few studies have examined the mental health of clinical psychology doctoral students, a unique group given their education and training in psychopathology, assessment, and intervention. Students (N = 912) completed an online survey assessing demographics, mental health, mental healthcare utilization, and barriers to care during graduate school. Nearly 25% of participants reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, 20% reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression or suicidal intent (SI), and more than 10% reported a high risk of alcohol abuse or moderate to severe drug use during graduate school. In comparison to peers, ethnic minority and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) participants reported more symptoms of depression and SI. LGBTQ+ participants reported more nonsuicidal self-injury and drug use. Participants also experienced significant barriers to receiving mental healthcare (e.g., financial difficulties, limited availability, insufficient time). Leadership is encouraged to prioritize the mental health of clinical psychology doctoral students, which may have implications on their service provision.

Clinical psychology PhD students' admission experiences: Implications for recruiting racial/ethnic minority and LGBTQ students.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to explore differences in the clinical psychology PhD program admissions experience (i.e., interviewing and decision-making) by race/ethnicity and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) identity. METHODS: Participants were 803 students (24% racial/ethnic minority; 19% LGBTQ) enrolled in US clinical psychology PhD programs. Two-group comparisons tested for differences in admission experiences by race/ethnicity and LGBTQ identity. RESULTS: Racial/ethnic minority and LGBTQ students considered a programmatic commitment to diversity as more important in application decisions compared to non-Hispanic White and cisgender heterosexual students, respectively. LGBTQ students were more likely to be advised to not discuss personal information (e.g., sexual orientation) than cisgender heterosexual students. Racial/ethnic minority and LGBTQ students identified financial considerations and program outcomes as more important in their decision-making compared with non-Hispanic White and cisgender heterosexual students, respectively. CONCLUSION: Increasing funding and fostering authentic training environments should be prioritized in institutional conversations around recruiting racial/ethnic minority and LGBTQ trainees.