Understanding Gender and Sexuality Advisors’ Experiences, Needs, and Perceptions of Self-Efficacy

Many youth who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ+) experience school as a hostile environment, with 90% of LGBTQ+ youth reporting they have been harassed at school on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity (Kosciw et al., 2018). These experiences have been linked to a variety of negative mental health and academic outcomes for LGBTQ+ students (Toomey, Ryan, Diaz, & Russell, 2011). Importantly, access to supportive adults and the presence of affirming school clubs such as Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) help to mitigate risk and confer protection for LGBTQ+ youth (Gastic & Johnson, 2009; Poteat el al., 2013). However, despite the documented importance of supportive and affirming adults within the school context, surprisingly little attention has been paid to supporting school staff, such as GSA advisors, who are in opportune positions to promote resilient trajectories among LGBTQ+ students. To address this gap, this study assessed usual practices within the GSA context and explored relationships between advisors’ receipt of professional development, their own social emotional competencies, and their perceived role-specific self-efficacy. GSA Advisors (n = 167) were recruited using purposive, non-random sampling techniques and innovative methodology aimed toward recruiting participants from this difficult-to-reach population across the United States. Participants completed an online survey that included advisor and school demographics, GSA activities, and training experiences. Additionally, participants completed measures related to their own social emotional competencies and their perceived self-efficacy in completing a variety of tasks related to supporting LGBTQ+ youth in their role. Results from this study contribute to the field’s understanding of who is serving in this important mentorship role, the activities they perform, and their needs related to training and support. Additionally, exploratory findings demonstrated relationships between advisor training, social emotional competency, and perceived self-efficacy, potentially pointing to novel mechanisms for supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Through developing robust and adult-centered professional development related to meeting the unique needs of LGBTQ+ youth, GSA advisors may feel more prepared and efficacious in their roles. Despite GSA advisors indicating that they would benefit from additional training, few advisors are receiving professional development related to their critical role supporting LGBTQ+ students. Given the rates at which students are experiencing identity-based harassment, equipping advisors with skills related to supporting the social and emotional needs of their students and related to helping students navigate experiences of victimization and discrimination is paramount. School staff, including GSA advisors, are in a potentially powerful position to help LGBTQ+ students thrive, even in the face of adversity. As such, focusing on better meeting the needs of GSA advisors and developing their cultural competence in working with LGBTQ+ youth is an understudied yet important potential pathway for effectively supporting multiple youth over time, and for ensuring that LGBTQ+ students are receiving the safety, care, and support they deserve