School-based social safety among transgender and gender-diverse youth: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to compile and synthesize the existing literature capturing the experiences and perspectives of transgender and gender-diverse youth regarding a sense of social safety within school settings.

Introduction: Transgender and gender-diverse youth experience significant mental health inequities as compared to their cisgender peers. Social safety has been identified as a potentially valuable area of exploration in understanding and addressing the root causes of these inequities, but there is a need for further conceptual clarity and synthesis of existing knowledge regarding social safety in school settings for transgender and gender diverse youth.

Inclusion criteria: The scoping review will include data in which transgender and/or gender-diverse middle- and/or high-school students qualitatively describe their experiences and/or perspectives regarding social safety in school settings.

Methods: The search strategy utilized PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, LGBTQ+ Source, ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and was conducted in July 2024. Studies included will be limited to only those published in English. Data relevant to the review question and regarding the participants, concept of social safety or lack of social safety, middle- and high-school context, methods, and findings will be extracted. Results will be presented in tabular form with accompanying narrative.