EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Multiracial youth are the fastest-growing demographic in the United States (Jonesetal.,2021; however, minimal research specifically explores multiracial youth’s mental health and well-being. Even less research explores the intersection of multiracial and LGBTQ identities, particularly among youth. The unique convergence of stressors experienced by holding a multiracial identity and an LGBTQ identity might make them more susceptible to negative experiences, and as a result, poorer mental health and well-being. This report is the first of its kind to explore the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are multiracial and provide within-group findings among multiracial LGBTQ youth to highlight different experiences among multiracial LGBTQ youth.
This report uses data from a national sample of over 4,700 multiracial LGBTQ youth (14.6%) ages 13–24 who participated in The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.
Multiracial LGBTQ youth are diverse in their racial, sexual, and gender identities.
- 75%ofmultiracial LGBTQ youth identified with two races/ethnicities, and 25%withmore than two
- Multiracial LGBTQ youth were more concentrated in the Western part of the U.S., compared to the overall LGBTQ youth sample
- 30%of multiracial LGBTQ youth were bisexual, 22% gay or lesbian, 21% pansexual, 12% queer, 10% asexual, and 1% straight
- 57%ofmultiracial LGBTQ youth identified as transgender ornonbinary,comparedto51% of the overall LGBTQ youth sample
Multiracial LGBTQ youth report higher rates of mental health challenges compared to monoracial LGBTQ youth.
- 48%of multiracial LGBTQ youth reported seriously considering suicide in the past year, including 55% of multiracial transgender and nonbinary youth ●
- 17% of multiracial LGBTQ youth attempted suicide in the past year, including 22% of multiracial transgender and nonbinary youth ●
- 75% of multiracial LGBTQ youth reported symptoms of anxiety in the past two weeks
- ● 60% of multiracial LGBTQ youth reported symptoms of depression in the past two weeks ●
- Multiracial LGBTQ youth who are exclusively youth of color reported higher rates of symptoms of depression, seriously considering suicide, and attempting suicide compared to multiracial LGBTQ youth who are White and another race/ethnicity