The Relationship Between Bullying and Organized Sports Participation Among Sexual and Gender Diverse Youth: A Narrative Review and Directions for Inclusive Programs.

Participation in organized sports has been shown to enhance youths' development, improve mental health symptoms, and maintain overall well-being. Research on the outcomes of bullying in the youth population shows the opposite. Youth from marginalized communities in particular-specifically sexual and gender minority or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) youth-are at an increased risk of being victims of bullying than their counterparts. However, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship between the three variables. Thus, this review explored the relationship between bullying among sexual and gender minority youth and its impact on the level of engagement in organized sports participation. Psychosocial risk factors and responses are identified, and suggestions for sports programs are proposed. A total of 16 articles, categorized by sexual and gender identity groups to further highlight the current literature on specific groups, were included in the final synthesis of this review. The findings revealed a range in the experiences of bullying and levels of sports participation among LGBTQIA+ youth, highlighting individual differences and impacts of various factors. The findings also emphasized the importance of involvement from schools, administrators, and policymakers in creating a safer, inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ youth to increase engagement in sports, ultimately improving overall well-being and development.