Chatting to Combat Isolation

06/01/2021

We're getting an upgrade! Go follow us at our new page Pitt PRIDE IM for the latest LGBTQIA+ research and events happening all over the world!

05/04/2021

Check out our research over at @ Pitt PRIDE iM! We'll periodically post research we've done in the past, work we're involved in now, and useful resources created by other LGBTQ+ friendly organizations! Follow us!

Research below: “For Better or Worse? A Systematic Review of the Evidence on Social Media Use and Depression among Le***an, Gay, and Bisexual Minorities” by Dr. César Escobar-Viera, Dr. Darren Whitfield, Dr, Andre Brown, et. al., 2018.
https://mental.jmir.org/2018/3/e10496/

03/16/2021

Half-way through ! Did you know that bisexuals have higher rates of mental health concerns than gay men, le****ns, and heterosexuals? Bi-erasure leads to bi and pansexual individuals being left out of same-sex-loving education, which leads to greater health disparities.

Join us in honoring the resilience of the bi+ community in the face of significant health disparities. Stay tuned throughout the month as we and the Bisexual Resource Center share awareness and call for + equity in healthcare!

03/05/2021

A group at Boston Children's Hospital is conducting a paid study to test an online toolkit. Email youthfamilystudy@childrens.harvard.edu to participate!

"As part of the study, you will have one month to test an online toolkit, which includes 8 videos made by TNB young adults about their own experiences, discussion guides, and resources for families. To see how it worked, participants will complete one follow-up interview and 4 online surveys over 6 months. Each participant will receive a $100 gift card for completing all parts of the study.

Email youthfamilystudy@childrens.harvard.edu to participate!"

03/05/2021

Our group researched the negative effects social media use can have on LGBTQ+ population. Do you agree with these findings? What has your experience been? Tell us in the comments!

***r 🌈

03/01/2021

We are recruiting for study participants.

We want your feedback about a chatbot we created for socially isolated LGBTQ+ teens. Click this link to see if you're eligible. https://www.etudes.pitt.edu/research/study-recruitment 👈

The University of Pittsburgh is among the nation's most distinguished comprehensive universities, with a wide variety of high-quality programs in both the arts and sciences and professional fields.

02/15/2021

School staff have a responsibility to end bias-based harassment and bullying, and to check their OWN language and behaviors. LGBTQ students judge their safety in school on how likely staff are to reinforce safety.

LGBTQ+ folks are subject to institutionalised discrimination in Singapore’s schools, as their identities are often erased, avoided, and vilified.

The problem of institutionalised discrimination is compounded when it happens in an education system. As children grow up in a system that tells them — directly or indirectly — that being LGBTQ+ is “wrong”, they turn into adults who subconsciously hold onto that belief. When they rejoin the school environment as teachers, principals, counsellors, or ministers, they reinforce the same beliefs back into the system. The cycle of discrimination repeats.

We need to end this cycle of discrimination in schools. Our children — all of them — deserve to grow up in safe and nurturing environments.

***rcomics ***rcomic ***r 🌈 ***an

02/08/2021

Social media can be nourishing grounds for LGBTQ youth to rejoice with their global community. A few weeks back, LGBTQ youth got front-row seats to YouTube star and teen sensation, Jojo Siwa's coming out on TikTok. This has huge effects on fostering feelings of self-pride in questioning and q***r youth who look up to Jojo. 🎊🌈

You may not know about the 17 year-old entertainer yet, but she's already one of the biggest stars to children everywhere. People say she's "changed history... for LGBTQ youth...

01/22/2021

Meet Jamie (she/her), one of our newest Research Assistants here at the Social Media and SGM Mental Health Research Initiative. Jamie is a student at Pitt's Graduate School for Public Health. Her undergrad was in Communications and Women & Gender Studies at University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. Outside of research, she can usually be found on a bicycle, listening to podcasts on relationships and pop culture, or belting along to a Beyoncé song. 🚴‍♀️🎤🎧