Promising Practice

What makes the difference? The wellbeing, social relationships and lifestyles of Dutch lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents

Wat maakt het verschil? Over het welzijn, de sociale relaties en de leefstijl van lesbische, homoseksuele en biseksuele jongeren
This report provides up-to-date information on the well-being, quality of social relationships, lifestyles and lifestyle issues of adolescents aged 11 to 16 with different sexual orientations (and as compared to heterosexual adolescents).
Χώρα
Netherlands
Guidelines
Map existing sources
Mainstream equality data
Ensure regular and timely data collection with sufficient budget
Improve comparability
Mainstream intersectional approach
Ground of discrimination
Sexual orientation
Includes multiple / intersectional discrimination

 


In this page:


Why was the practice needed?

Previous research showed that LGB adolescents are often disadvantaged in these areas. The researchers also looked at adolescents who are not (yet) sure of their sexual orientation. Relatively little is known about this group. 

Objectives: a study among adolescents with different sexual orientations to answer the following research questions: 

  • What are the differences between LGB and heterosexual adolescents in well-being, quality of social relations and lifestyle? 
  • How did well-being, quality of social relations and lifestyle among LGB and heterosexual adolescents change between 2013 and 2017? 
  • What factors explain the differences in well-being and lifestyle between LGB and heterosexual adolescents, and how do social relationships contribute to these differences? 

There is no explicit link to a legal provision, action plan or policy framework. The study’s results and conclusions are relevant to monitor, understand and possibly remedy the disadvantaged position of LGB adolescents regarding poorer well-being, poorer quality of social relationships and more unhealthy lifestyles.

How was it implemented?

The researchers based their analysis on a large-scale study focusing on students in secondary education: the Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) study (latest data 2017). Because the HBSC study is conducted every four years, it can also provide insights into changes between 2013 and 2017 with respect to the areas mentioned above. 

The Dutch survey also included an additional question about sexual orientation. Within the data protocol of the HBSC study, this is a non-mandatory question to include in the HBSC survey as administered in various countries. Given the large sample size of the HBSC, adding this question allows for meaningful subsamples of adolescents with a gay, lesbian or bisexual orientation. 

As the HBSC study is conducted in 50 countries, these data can be used for monitoring young people’s well-being, health behaviour and their social context in many countries. If within other countries the survey also included a question on sexual orientation, this would provide opportunities for cross-national comparisons. 

For issues of comparability, measurement, validity, reliability: please see the information on data collections methods and the data protocol on the HBSC website

To measure sexual orientation, a survey question on sexual attraction was included (‘do you feel sexually attracted to boys, girls, or both). Such a question was regarded as more suitable than a question on self-identification as the latter may be affected by cultural and social norms, and because adolescents may not have a fixed self-identification. Those who answered ‘do not (yet) know’ to the survey question on sexual attraction were regarded as questioning youth.

Outputs

Key success factors

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) research network is an international alliance of researchers who collaborate on a cross-national survey of school students. It collects data every four years on 11-, 13- and 15-year-old boys' and girls' health and well-being, social environments and health behaviours. Hence, it enables regular monitoring as well as the study of changes over time and cross-country differences. 

Due to the large sample size, it is possible to have meaningful subsamples of adolescents with different sexual orientations (if a question on sexual orientation was included in the survey, as is the case in the Netherlands).

Technical information

  • Data sources covered: Household
  • Areas of life covered: Health; Others: Wellbeing, social interactions, lifestyle
  • Target audience:
    • Actors: public administrations, equality bodies, civil society organisations, media, general population
    • Target group: adolescents, including LGB adolescents 
  • Duration: Data collected every four years. Based on data collection in 2017, the report on LGB adolescents was published in 2021.
  • Geographical scope: National
  • Leading institution: The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau, SCP) analysed the data and published the report. The HBSC network collected the data. The team of the Dutch HBSC survey consists of members of the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science at Utrecht University , Trimbos and the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP). 
  • Other organisations involved/consulted: n.a.
  • Financial & human resources: Budget: n.a. ; Source of the budget: The Dutch HBSC study is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Wellbeing and Sport (VWS). ; Staff: n.a.

Contacts

See Also