supporting lgbt lives: a study of mental health and well-being PDF
Preview supporting lgbt lives: a study of mental health and well-being
SUPPORTING LGBT LIVES: A STUDY OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PAULA MAYOCK, AUDREY BRYAN, NICOLA CARR, KARL KITCHING The research was commissioned by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and BelongTo Youth Project and is funded by the National Offce for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) of the Health Service Executive. SUPPORTING LGBT LIVES: A STUDY OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PAULA MAYOCK, AUDREY BRYAN, NICOLA CARR, KARL KITCHING. Copyright © Paula Mayock, Audrey Bryan, Nicola Carr, Karl Kitching, 2008. Published by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and BeLonGTo ISBN: 978-0-9561023-2-4 PAGE 3 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, without written permission of the authors. This research project was commissioned by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and the BeLonGTo Youth Project and was funded by the National Offce for Suicide Prevention (NOSP). The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the funder or commissioners of the study. PAGE 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, we want to thank all who participated in this study. Over 1,100 people participated in the online survey dimension of this research and we are grateful for the time they took to complete the questionnaire and share their experiences. We are also indebted to the 40 people who participated in the study’s in-depth individual interviews and who shared their life experiences with us. Each person’s story was invaluable to this research and we greatly appreciate the personal contributions of all who participated. We want to acknowledge the contribution of professionals from both statutory and non-statutory sectors who participated in the Community Assessment phase of the research. Thanks to the services and individuals who helped to promote the online survey. We also want to extend our thanks to those professionals who assisted with the recruitment of interview respondents. This research was supported by a Research Advisory Group comprising sixteen individuals from a range of voluntary bodies, state agencies and academic institutions who have expertise on LGBT issues, experience of researching LGBT populations and/or experience of working with the LGBT community. The Group’s membership was as follows: Odhrán Allen (Chairperson), Director of Mental Health Strategy, Gay & Lesbian Equality Network Michael Barron, National Development Coordinator, BeLonG To Youth Project Catherine Brogan, Mental Health Specialist, Health Service Executive Eoin Collins, Director of Policy Change, Gay & Lesbian Equality Network Olive McGovern, Assistant Principal Offcer, Social Inclusion, Department of Health and Children. Derek Chambers, Research & Resource Offcer, National Offce for Suicide Prevention Dr. Yolande Ferguson, Consultant Psychiatrist, Health Service Executive Maeve Forman, Lecturer & Director of Masters in Social Work, Trinity College Dublin Caoimhe Gleeson, Equality Offcer, Health Service Executive Mary Hogan, Coordinator , L.inC (Lesbians in Cork) Marie-Claire McAleer, Senior Research & Policy Offcer, National Youth Council of Ireland Ciarán McKinney, Director of Gay HIV Strategies, Gay & Lesbian Equality Network Louise Mullen, Population Health Researcher, Health Service Executive Mick Quinlan, Manager, Gay Men’s Health Project, Health Service Executive Hannah Reid, Communications & Support Coordinator, Transgender Equality Network Ireland Lynda Sheridan, Support & Outreach Coordinator, Gender Identity Support Ireland Dónal Walsh, Community Education Facilitator, Galway Vocational Education Committee We want to extend special thanks to all members of the Research Advisory Group who gave generously of their time and provided valuable input and feedback throughout the conduct of the research. We would like to especially thank Odhrán Allen and Michael Barron for their advisory and administrative support in this regard. Special thanks to Jeanette Rehnstrom who conducted some of the study’s in-depth interviews and to Siobhán MacHale for assisting with the analysis of in-depth interview data. We also want to thank Emilia Marchelewska who designed the promotional material used to encourage participation in the study and David Harrington who assisted us in promoting participation in the online survey. We would like to thank our colleagues in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, and the Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin, and the School of Education, University College Dublin. We would also like to extend special thanks to Mary Louise Corr, Jennifer Cronly, Mary Gray, Lorraine Heffernan, Louise Hill, Aido Lewis, Síle Murphy, Aaron Pallas, Dermot Reilly, Jennifer Scholtz, Christiane Share, Sarah Strauss, Kate Waterhouse and Pádraic Whyte, who provided invaluable support at various stages of the research process. Finally, we want to extend our thanks to Ciarán Wallace for his proof reading and editorial assistance. PAGE 5 ABOUT THE AUTHORS ABOUT THE AUTHORS Dr Paula Mayock is a lecturer in youth research at the School of Social Work and Social Policy and Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin. Her research focuses primarily on the lives and experiences of marginalised youth, covering areas including youth homelessness, drug use and drug problems, sexuality, risk behaviour and mental health. Paula has recently undertaken post-doctoral research funded by the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) INVEST Fellowship programme, USA. She is the author of numerous articles, chapters and reports and recently co-authored a book entitled, Lives in Crisis: Homeless Young People in Dublin, published by the The Liffey Press. She is also a member of the editorial board of Youth Studies Ireland. Dr. Audrey Bryan is a lecturer in the School of Education, University College Dublin. Previously, she worked as a researcher at Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University, New York. Her background is in Sociology, and she earned her PhD in Comparative and International Education from Columbia University. She has a particular interest in the school-based experiences of racialised and sexual minority youth. She has previously published on intercultural and anti-racism policies and practices in Irish schools and society. Her current interests include representations and understandings of diversity and development in the second-level curriculum in an Irish context. Nicola Carr is a Research Fellow in the Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin. She has worked on a number of research projects, including a study of youth homelessness, the care system and child protection services. She teaches on the Postgraduate Diploma in Child Protection and Welfare in Trinity College Dublin. She is professionally qualifed as a Probation Offcer and is currently undertaking her PhD research at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. The focus of this work is on Irish Travellers and the youth justice system. This research is funded by Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS). Karl Kitching is a lecturer in education in University College Cork. Prior to that he worked as a full-time researcher and also as a primary school teacher. He is currently writing up his doctoral research on race, ethnicity and success in Irish post-primary schools. His main research interests include the critical analysis of race, class, gender and sexuality, multilingualism, youth cultures and media. PAGE 6 PREFACE PREFACE PAGE 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 1 - LGBT MENTAL HEALTH IN CONTEXT X Minority Stress Prejudice, discrimination and victimisation Internalised homophobia Sexual Minority Youth Schooling and sexuality LGBT People and Suicide Risk Suicide in Ireland Characteristics of studies of minority sexuality and suicide risk Relationship between suicidality and sexuality LGBT Resilience LGBT Mental Health: The Policy Context Policy development LGBT healthcare access – service and policy context Conclusion CHAPTER 2 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY x Researching LGBT Mental Health and Suicide Risk Research Strategy Anonymous On-line Survey Community Assessment Process Qualitative In-depth Interviews The in-depth interview Locating the sample Sampling strategy Data Analysis Quantitative data analysis Qualitative data analysis Ethical, Consent and Confdentiality Procedures Ethical procedures Protecting research participants CHAPTER 3 – RESPONDENT PROFILES x In-depth Interview Sample Online Survey Sample Age Residence Nationality Gender identity Sexuality Sexual orientation Sexual attraction Sexual experience LGBT awareness and disclosure Comfort with sexual orientation/transgender identity PAGE 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Living arrangements Relationship status Educational attainment Principal status Conclusion CHAPTER 4 – MINORITY STRESS x Coming Out Coming out to friends Coming out to family LGBT Discrimination and Victimisation School and Work Experiences School Experiences School belonging Comfort with expression of LGBT identity/issues Silencing of LGBT identities and expression in school LGBT issues and the formal curriculum School safety: Achieving in unsafe spaces? Homophobic bullying Teacher responses Missing school and dropping out Experiences in the Workplace Discrimination in the workplace Equality legislation and discrimination against LGBT people Conclusion CHAPTER 5 – MENTAL HEALTH RISKS Depression Feelings of inadequacy and isolation Perceived ‘outsider’ status Denial and concealment of self The relationship between LGBT identifcation and depression Alcohol Use. Problem drinking Self-Harm Prevalence of self-harm Types of self-injurious behaviour Gender Age Sexual orientation Self-harm amongst transgender participants Help-seeking Qualitative Findings on Self-Harm Feeling alone and different Feeling attacked, silenced and angry Feelings of self-loathing Feeling relief Feeling regret Understanding self-harm Suicidality Prevalence of suicidality Age Gender Sexual orientation Suicide attempts among transgender participants PAGE 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS LGBT victimisation and suicidality Qualitative Findings on Suicidality Suicidality scenarios Passive wish to die Suicidal ideation Signifcant others as a deterrent Suicide attempters Understanding suicidality amongst LGBT people The relationship between LGBT identifcation and suicidality Conclusion CHAPTER 6 – LGBT PEOPLE AND SERVICES Policy and Service Context Regional disparity in LGBT-specifc service provision Different service experiences Diversity of need within the LGBT community Healthcare Access and Experience General Healthcare Experiences LGBT-Specifc Youth Services Counselling Services and other Therapeutic Env ronments Psychiatric Services Access to Health Services for Transgender People Barriers to Access and Engagement with Services Conclusion CHAPTER 7 – RESILIENCE Social Sources of Resilience Friendship as a source of resilience Family as a supportive environment LGBT community as a source of resilience School and workplace as supportive environments ‘Becoming’ Resilient Reframing ‘self’ Self-effcacy and self-esteem Turning points Coping strategies Conclusion CHAPTER 8 – SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The Study Mental Health Risks Resilience in LGBT People LGBT Service Access and Utilisation Minority Stress CHAPTER 9 – RECOMMENDATIONS LGBT Health and Mental Health Health/mental health policy Health professionals Programme/service development and delivery LGBT Young People
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