Griffin, N. orcid.org/0000-0002-7854-4353, Crowder, M., Kyle, P. et al. (6 more authors) (2023) ‘Bigotry is all around us, and we have to deal with that’: Exploring LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and understandings of health inequalities in North East England. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health. 100263. ISSN 2667-3215
Abstract
Background Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/agender+ (LGBTQ + hereafter) people report poorer health and worse experiences of healthcare than the general population, compounded by growing inequalities in health seen across the UK. Correspondingly, LGBTQ + youth have higher rates of several negative health outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation.
Methods This paper explores the views and experiences of LGBTQ + youth in North East England in relation to health inequalities, with data collected from two youth groups (n = 20) situated within socio-economically deprived areas (according to IMD measures). Three 1.5 h focus-groups with each youth group were conducted.
Findings Participants faced discrimination in most areas of life, with damaging and long-lasting impacts on mental, physical and emotional health and well-being. Participants were acutely aware of such disadvantages and attributed them to lack of awareness, a need for education, lack of commitment to inclusion and access, negative and bigoted attitudes (worsened by media and political discourses), and active discrimination.
Conclusions Addressing systemic discrimination faced by LGBTQ + youth must be seen as a public health priority. LGBTQ + youth must be included in decision-making (policy and practice) that impacts them and their health. Meanwhile, the vital sanctuary and support provided by LGBTQ + youth groups must be bolstered to address limitations and gaps in provision due to growing public sector cuts. This is necessary to reduce or buffer the multiple intersecting inequalities faced by LGBTQ + youth. Finally, more research is needed to fully understand the crisis of health inequalities faced by LGBTQ + youth in England.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
Keywords: | LGBTQ+ youth; Health inequalities; Geographical inequalities; Minority stress theory; North east england; Public health |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > Health Sciences School (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE UNSPECIFIED |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 13 Apr 2023 10:24 |
Last Modified: | 13 Apr 2023 10:24 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100263 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:197926 |