Respond to two colleagues by offering additional insight about how social workers can work toward assuring the best outcomes for adolescents who are questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. Please use the Learning Resources to support your response. 

1 JAS- 

How might potential reactions to an adolescent’s questioning of their sexual identity or gender role impact their social environment, behavior, and self-esteem? 

“Bodies change drastically, sexual desires emerge, peers exert tremendous pressure to conform, personal identifies are struggling to surface and conflicts with parents are rampant” (Zastrow, Kirst-Ashman, & Hessenauer, 2019). One of the hardest things that an adolescent can do is share their sexual identity with their parents. As they are worried about what their parents will say. They don’t want to be disowned by the family, talked down to or even put out of the house. What parents think will always be important to that adolescent. Ella is experiencing depression, anxiety and starting to fall behind in her classes and this is prior to her telling her parents about her sexual identity. Ella’s depression can potentially turn into self-harming or even attempt suicide if not accepted by her parents because her parents’ thoughts and feelings are very important to her. Ella could potentially shut down, develop low self-esteem, loneliness, stop eating, stop going to school, and stop speaking to her friends.

As a social worker, what role can you play in assuring the best outcomes for these adolescents?

“Social workers can assist family members to understand and come to terms with how the sexual identities or interactions of family members affect them. Research has shown that family culture not only influences sexual expression, but also affects how adults interpret and label youths' behaviors” (Brandon-Friedman, 2019). As a future social worker, the role I can play in assuring the best outcome for these adolescents who are questioning their sexual identity will be to help empower and advocate for them. To provide the important and necessary resources such as support groups and to even offer family counseling. This will allow the adolescents and the parents to express their feelings but in a safe and respectful space.

2 SUS-  

Adolescents who are unsure about their sexual identity or gender role might have an impact on their social environment, conduct, and self-esteem. Women are frequently told that becoming brides and mothers will fulfill them. Men, on the other hand, are frequently taught that their jobs should be their primary source of self-satisfaction. The pressures and expectations created by both of these stereotypes can cause serious problems (C.H. Zastrow, 2019). 

First, LGBTQ people who express their sexual identity may face adverse reactions, such as being excluded from their family, school or church. Being unable to participate with family or a group that they have known their entire lives can cause immense stress, melancholy, and a sense of hopelessness. In 2021, 69% of LGBQ+ teens experienced continuous sadness and hopelessness. That figure was 35% for heterosexual teenagers. During the epidemic, LGBQ+ high school students were around four times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to attempt suicide. Although the epidemic exacerbated these inequities, they have persisted throughout time (Prevention, 2017). Violence can also affect persons of the LBTQ community.

Bullying, being threatened or hurt with a weapon, and dating violence are all more common among LGBQ+ children. They are also more likely to miss school due to concerns about their safety. Disparities are especially noticeable in cases of sexual violence. LGBQ+ students are four times more likely to be subjected to forced sex. During the epidemic, 20% of LGBQ+ students reported being physically assaulted at home by a parent or other adult. That figure was 10% among heterosexual students (Prevention, 2017).

As a social worker, what role can you play in assuring the best outcomes for these adolescents?

Social workers should advocate for adolescents to assure the best outcomes by challenging the social injustice done to marginalized groups.

Social workers advocate for social change, particularly on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and communities. Social workers' efforts to effect social change are primarily focused on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other types of social injustice. These activities aim to raise awareness and understanding of discrimination, as well as cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers seek to ensure that all people have equal access to required information, services, and resources, as well as meaningful participation in decision making (https://www.socialworkers.org, 2017).

As a social worker, you may ensure that the teenagers are in a safe setting to express their emotions and be open in their communication during treatment sessions. Social workers should encourage adolescents to join support groups that share the same oppressive interests as they do, and they should give the resources necessary for the adolescents' successful rehabilitation.