There are serious concerns about mental health on college campuses. Depression negatively impacts college student success. Women and transgender/gender-nonconforming students suffer from depression at higher rates than men. While undergraduate research is a high-impact practice, we know little about how depression affects outcomes among…

Iowa's Senate File 496 requires parent permission to formally survey students about their mental health, bans the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools before 7th grade, mandates schools obtain parental permission to use a nick name, and bans any books that depict or describe sex acts in schools. This exploratory case…

Bullying victimization occurs when a person is exposed to aggressive behaviors repeatedly over time by one or more people and is unable to defend themself. Bullying victimization during childhood and adolescence has life-long consequences and is a public health issue of national concern. Previous research shows being bullied is associated with…

The aim of inclusive education is to provide a supportive space for students from every background. The theory of intersectionality suggests that multiple identities intersect within social spaces to construct specific positionalities. To support the heterogeneity of all students, there is a need to understand who is in our Science, Technology,…

Young adolescents undergo rapid physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and sexual development, including puberty, sexual awareness, gender identity, physiological brain and cognitive growth, complex emotions, and impulse control. Tragically, thousands of adolescents die daily from mostly preventable causes such as violence, sexual health problems…

This dissertation is concentrated on transgender students with recognition of LGBTQIA+ students across the board. There is a deficiency of information in education on how to assist high school students who are transgender. This literature review encompasses the transgender experiences and addresses major depression, gender dysphoria, minority…