Providing inclusive strategies for practitioners and researchers working with gender and sexually diverse youth without parental/guardian consent.

Abstract

G ender and sexually diverse (GSD) youth are marginalized and resilient individuals whose voices need to be represented in practice and research (Mayberry, 2013). The American Psychological Association (APA) and National Association of School Psychologists (NASP; 2015) Joint Resolution on gender and sexual orientation diversity for children and adolescents enforces these ideals, calling for inclusive practice (see Chapter 1, this volume, for details). It calls for the inclusion of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in school district policies and for inclusive data collection in research. However, barriers (e.g., requiring parental consent) prevent GSD youth from participating in research or seeking mental health services, or both, that do not affect their cisgender, heterosexual peers.Informed consent is an ethical practice that researchers and practitioners routinely use in health, mental health, and education settings (Dorn et al., 1995;Roth-Cline & Nelson, 2013). It is a voluntary agreement to participate in practice or research. Informed consent typically includes signing a form acknowledging the participant consents to and comprehends what the research or practice entails. Minors, however, are typically required to have a parent or guardian consent on their behalf because their capacity is

There's no place like home: Exploring sexual and gender diverse youth's outcomes related to urban/nonurban settings, opted consent procedure, and social support

“…While there are limited findings that convey how urban, suburban, and rural school settings relate to outcomes for SGDY, McIntyre et al (2000) informed how these contexts permeate cultural, political, and perceptual aspects that may play a critical role in shaping people's lived experience. Furthermore, Kiperman et al (2020) claim that SGDY, who cannot ask their parents/guardians to sign an informed consent form to participate in research, may experience additional stress. However, Bry et al (2018) explained how many SGDY could be resilient by compensating for missing resources such as parent/guardian support.…”

“…Requiring consent forms for SGDY to participate in research could be an indicator of parent or guardian support (Kiperman et al, 2020). Prior research on SGDY often depicts results based on a limited sample of youth who can safely secure parental/guardian consent.…”

“…These adults are called youth advocates, where they serve to verify that youth participants understand their rights, the study procedures, risks and benefits, and the voluntary nature of the project. Youth advocates are barred from being active researchers but are generally members of the CBO's (Kiperman et al, 2020).…”

“…This study sampled an inclusive, diverse group of SGDY offering a waived consent procedure for youth to participate in the study who preferred not to opt to get parent/guardian consent. Waived consent is a critical, ethical practice as many youths are not out to their parents/guardians and asking them for consent presents as a barrier to their participation and as a potential minority stressor (Kiperman et al, 2020;Varjas et al, 2008).…”

“…Additionally, SGDY may disproportionately experience stress when they are not out to their parents/guardians or perceive their parents/guardians as disaffirming. Researchers can gauge parental/guardian support by whether youth feel comfortable asking their parents/guardians to sign a consent form to participate in research related to their SGDY identity (Kiperman et al, 2020). As school psychologists are expected to provide ethical, affirming, and informed services to SGDY (National Association of School Psychologists, 2020), it is important that we understand thier experience of potential stressors (e.g., school settings and SGDY's access to informed parent consent) and how they may relate to their mental health outcomes.…”