Publication Trends of LGBTQ+ Topics in School Psychology Literature Across Time

Understanding publication trends on topics pertaining to LGBTQ+ students within school psychology literature is necessary to reveal areas of limited research as well as to identify evidence-supported school-based strategies for this student population. Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, plus (LGBTQ+) are frequent targets of bullying and are at heightened risk for an array of adverse outcomes, including anxiety, depression, school dropout, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The present study reviewed nine key school psychology journals for literature pertaining to LGBTQ+ students to reveal historical publication trends across time. Seventy-six total articles were inventoried and categorized by journal, year of publication, primary topic, and article type—empirical or conceptual. All empirical articles were further categorized by age range of participants, participant group of focus, and whether or not the article had an intervention focus. Historical trends were reviewed regarding all categories. Findings revealed an increase in the overall frequency of publications over time, as well as an increase in research focused on the topic of school climate and a decrease in focus on the topics of bullying and mental health. Furthermore, although we noted increases in intervention-focused articles, articles that included younger student participants, and articles that separately analyzed unique subsets of LGBTQ+ participants across time, these types of articles continue to make up a minority of the LGBTQ+ student-focused school psychology literature base. Additionally, our review revealed very few articles examining the experiences of Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC). Discussion focused on findings in relation to recent calls by national school psychology organizations for school psychologists to increase our knowledge of the unique needs of the LGBTQ+ student population and to appreciate the intersection of identities within.