The Born Brave Experiences (BBE) research project is a mixed-methods line of inquiry designed to help understand the factors that support youth empowerment, youth engagement, and to develop effective bullying prevention and intervention strategies that will be disseminated through unique outlets (i.e., web-based communities; in-person activations). The objectives of this line of research are to determine the factors that influence youth engagement and to evaluate the impact of participating in four national activations: (1) The Born Brave Bus; (2) Lady Gaga concert events; (3) The Born Brave Nations; and (4) the Born This Way Foundation website. We are particularly interested in the factors that youth need to be positively engaged and how empowerment and engagement are sustained over time, ultimately creating a kinder and braver world.
Data for versions 1.0 and 2.0 were collected in 2013 and 2014 in conjunction with the Born Brave Ball and the ARTPOP Ball, Lady Gaga’s concert tours. Participants completed online surveys that were accessed through the Foundation’s website. Version 1.0 Surveys were completed by over 3,000 participants and 31 qualitative interviews were conducted in Los Angeles, CA, Lincoln, NE, Kansas City, KS, and New York, NY. Version 2.0 Surveys were completed by over 4,000 participants. Results from the quantitative and qualitative data were used to create the Kinder Braver Scale that was piloted in Year 3 of the Born Brave Experiences Research Study in 2016. Version 3.0 was also interested in participant's online experiences, physical health, mental health, and what supports people need in order to create a kinder and braver world. 1,062 youth (ages 13 to 18 years old) and 3,162 young adults (ages 19 - 25 years old) completed version 3.0. In total over 12,500 youth and young adults worldwide have completed the BBE surveys.
Extending our work from the Born Brave Experience Studies we gathered pilot data that helped inform our current version of our Kindness + Bravery scale. Our hope is that by 2020 we will complete the development of a reliable and valid measure of kindness and bravery that will help people understand and evaluate kindness and bravery as important factors in effective bullying prevention and intervention, youth engagement, and youth empowerment.
2020 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Swearer, S. M., Palacios, R. A., Gutierrez, G., & Solesbee, C. (2020, August 6-8). Bullying and mental health disparities among sexual minority youth. In C. Wang (Chair), Risk and protective factors for bullying and mental health among sexual minority youth [Symposium]. American Psychological Association [virtual].
- Wang, C., Swearer, S. M., Palacios, R. A., Gutierrez, G., & Solesbee, C. (2020, August 6-8). Risk and protective factors for bullying and mental health among sexual minority youth. In C. Wang (Chair), Risk and protective factors for bullying and mental health among sexual minority youth [Symposium]. American Psychological Association [virtual].
- Gutierrez, G., Palacios, R., Noetzel, A. G., Swearer, S. M., & Svoboda, S. (2020, August 6-8). Not all internalizing symptoms are equal: Psychometric analyses in a Latinx sample [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association, Online Conference.
- Swanson, L. R., Swearer, S.M., Jones, C.M., Kesselring, S.A., & Palacios, R. A. (2020, August). Promoting positivity: The interaction of optimism and coping on depression. [Poster Presentation] American Psychological Association, Online Conference.
2019 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Palacios, R. A., Swearer, S.M., Svoboda, S., Cominartor, C., Swanson, L., & Crinion, M. (2019, August). Supporting youth mental health through social involvement. Poster presented at the 2019 Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
- Palacios, R. A., Swearer, S. M., Swanson, L., & Solesbee, C. (2019, November). Try a little kindness: Evaluating altruism and bullying perpetration among youth and young adults. Poster presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Chicago, IL.
- Solesbee, C., Palacios, R. A., & Swearer, S. M. (2019, November). Interpersonal and situational factors impact perceived coping with bullying. Poster presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Chicago, IL.
2018 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Solesbee, C., Palacios, R. A., Swearer, S.M., & Svoboda, S. (2018, April). I 'wanna' see you be brave: Investigating the relationship between bravery and coping in youth and young adults. Poster presented at the 2018 SRA Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
2017 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Martin, M., Swearer, S. M., Palacios, R.A., & Gutierrez, G. (2017, November). Coming out: Bravery as a protective factor for LGBQ youth. Poster to be presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies 51st Annual Convention. San Diego, CA.
- Myers, Z. R., Swearer, S. M., & Martin, M. J. (2017, November). With a little help from my friends: Peer support as protection for cyber-victimized LGBTQ youth. Poster to be presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. San Diego, CA.
- Quang Ong, T., Bandalos, D., & Swearer, S. M. (2017, May). The spiritual values/religion subscale of the Self-Description Questionnaire III: Testing measurement invariance across self-identified heterosexuals and non-heterosexuals. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science annual convention. Boston, MA.
- Palacios, R. A., Swearer, S. M., Zweifel, M., Mosher, K., Garcia, A. G., & Smith, W. (2017, August). Confirmatory factor analysis of the verbal and physical bullying scale. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington D.C.
- Palacios, R. A., Zweifel, M., Swearer, S. M., Meyers, Z. M., & Smith, W.Z. (2017, May). Questioning youth: Identifying youth who are unsure of their sexuality. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Antonio, TX.
- Palacios, R. A., Swearer, S. M., Hanson, S., & Zweifel, M. (2017, February). Parental education: Impact on adolescent social and emotional outcomes. Poster presented at the 2017 Annual Convention of the National Association of School Psychologists. San Antonio, TX.
- Swearer, S.M., Palacios, R. A., Kennedy, G., & Johnson, E. (2017, July). Hacking harassment: Creating kinder and bravery online spaces with collaborative community partnerships. Topic presented at the 7th Annual Bullying Research Network Think Tank, Seattle, WA.
2016 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Garcia, A.G., Smith, W.Z., Swearer, S.M., & Myers, Z.R. (2016, August). Is there a missing link between bullying and school engagement in LGBQQ students? Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. Denver, Colorado.
- Gonzalez, S.E., Swearer, S.M., Mosher, K., Tebbe, E., & Zweifel, M. (2016, August). Body image: Questioning more than just your looks. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. Denver, Colorado. (used v 1.0 and 2.0 combined data).
- Myers, Z.R., Swearer, S.M., & Smith, M. H. (2016, August). Cyberbullying: A moving target.Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. Denver, Colorado.
2015 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Myers, Z. R., Swearer, S. M., & Asay, N. (2015, February). Bullying prevention: The need for a kinder and braver world. Poster presented at the National Association of School Psychologists annual conference. Orlando, FL.
- Swearer, S. M., Howell-Smith, M., Myers, Z. R., Wu, C., Gonzalez, S., Schwartz, H., Strawhun, J., & Germanotta, C. (2015, August). Born brave research study: Empowering a kinder and braver world. Presentation given at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. Toronto, Canada.
- Swearer, S. M. (Chair), Myers, Z. R., Estepan, S., Rossen, E., & Germanotta, C. (2015, February). Born brave experiences study: Fostering youth empowerment. Special session panel presented at the National Association of School Psychologists annual conference. Orlando, FL.
2014 Presentations from the Born Brave Experiences Research Study include:
- Mckinney, T.R.F., & Swearer, S.M., (2014, May). Like a brick: Lessons learned in reflexivity, data management, technology use, and team analysis from a study of kindness and bravery. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry. Urbana-Champaign, IL.
- Howell-Smith, M., McKinney, T., & Swearer, S.M. (2014, June). Best laid schemes: Lessons learned when the purpose and research questions in a mixed methods study change. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mixed Methods International Research Association. Boston, MA.
- Swearer, S.M. (Chair). (2014, August). Born brave bus tour: A mobile youth empowerment experiences. Symposium at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC. (Dr. Marc Brackett, discussant)
- Born This Way Foundation and the Born Brave Bus Tour – Cynthia Germanotta, Born This Way Foundation
- Analysis of the Born Brave Bus Tour: A Mixed Methods Design – Michelle Howell-Smith, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Born Brave: Mental Health Help-Seeking Preferences Among Youth – Eric Rossen, National Association of School Psychologists
Impact of the Born Brave Bus: Fostering Kindness and Bravery – Susan M. Swearer, University of Nebraska - Lincoln & Michelle Howell-Smith, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
BBE Dissertations
- Gonzalez, S. E. (2018). Do I look okay?”: Unpacking the relations between body image, sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental health (doctoral dissertation). University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
- Myers, Z. R. (2019). Examing the coping resources of polyvictimized youth and young adults (doctoral dissertation). University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE
Principal Investigators:
Dr. Susan Swearer (Professor, School Psychology) and Cynthia Germanotta, MPH (President, Born This Way Foundation).
Secondary Investigators:
Raul Palacios (Doctoral Student, School Psychology); Zach Myers (Doctoral Student, School Psychology); Sara Gonzalez (Doctoral Student, School Psychology); Dr. Meredith Martin (Assistant Professor, Cognition, Learning, and Development); Dr. Elliot Tebbe (Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology); Dr. Michelle Howell Smith (Research Assistant Professor, CYFS).
Born Brave Bus Tour
Lady Gaga fans gather at the Born Brave Bus prior to a concert from the pop star
In 2012, Empowerment Initiative founder Dr. Susan Swearer agreed to chair the research advisory board of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, which aims to foster a more accepting society that embraces differences and celebrates individuality.
In January 2013, Swearer joined Lady Gaga as she embarked on the 27-city Born Brave Bus Tour – a series of pre-concert tailgates that offer those aged 13-25 the chance to connect with their peers and obtain information on anti-bullying efforts, suicide prevention and local mental health services.
"It's been an amazing experience. I've seen first-hand that it's been incredibly empowering for the kids, but it's also been quite something for the volunteers involved, as well," said Swearer, who helped kick off the tour Jan. 14 in Tacoma, Wash. "During the stops, so many people came up and talked about how they felt like this was a place where they belonged and felt safe. So it has been really gratifying to see how powerful something simple, like acceptance, can be."
Swearer later traveled with the bus to Portland, Ore., San Jose, Calif., Los Angeles and Kansas City, Mo. While in Kansas City, she enlisted the help of UNL school psychology doctoral students Adam Collins and Jenna Strawhun.
"One of the things Dr. Swearer advocates is taking your research and putting it into practice," Collins said. "Here's a unique, probably once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do just that."
Swearer served as the tour's behavioral health team leader, overseeing one of a series of "pods" stationed in the tailgate area outside each concert venue. At each stop on the tour, attendees perused resources at an LGBT pod, a mentoring section, a "You Media/Hive Pod," a local community resources area and the Swearer-led pod for behavioral health.
The Born Brave Bus Tour continued through March 2013, ending its first leg in New York City's Time Square. The bus headed back on the road from late August through early September, making stops in New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey. To date, more than 10,000 youth and adults have visited this mobile empowerment lab.
Swearer and her colleagues are now studying how the Born Brave Bus influences youth empowerment and engagement. In conjunction with the tour, the Born This Way Foundation is also launching a national survey to advance understanding of the psychological and social factors that shape youth activism.
Visit the Born This Way Foundation Website
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