Inclusive health care for LGBTQ+ youth: support, belonging, and inclusivity labour

Abstract

Drawing on findings from a study of two social generations of gender and sexuality diverse Australians, this paper offers a critical analysis of expectations and experiences of inclusive health care for LGBTQ+ youth. Data were collected by means of individual and focus group interviews with people from two different social generations who grew up in regional or urban Australia: those born in the 1970s (n=50) and those born in the 1990s (n=71). Data were analysed inductively to develop insights into what inclusive health care meant, and what this revealed about the potential for fostering belonging in health care settings. Findings raise critical questions about how inclusiveness of care might best be understood in encounters between gender and sexual minorities and health professionals. In particular, forms of 'inclusivity labour' were observed across the social generations, both in terms of the work involved in seeking to locate supportive services, and in assessing the performance of clinicians in health care settings, with implications for the continued engagement of LGBTQ+ young people with essential forms of care. Mobilising contemporary forms of inclusivity labour, including attention to the affective dimensions of health care engagement, has the potential to promote both better health and more meaningful experiences of belonging for gender and sexual minorities.

Targeting cancer prevention and screening interventions to LGBTQ communities: A scoping review

“…Just some of these changes include: the achievement of marriage equality in many settings (Pew Research Centre, 2019), the increasing visibility of health advocacy by and for trans and gender diverse people (Callander et al, 2020), the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and other biomedical interventions to prevent HIV transmission (Newman et al, 2019), and a move away from community socialising at commercial leisure venues (bars, clubs, sex-on-premises venues and so on) (Drysdale, 2019). These, (Newman et al, 2020). As such, closer connections between community-based research on LGBTQ needs, and the interventions developed to respond to those needs, coupled with changes in healthcare provider attitudes towards LGBTQ people and understandings of their health risks and intervention needs, are essential if the targeting of cancer prevention and screening interventions is to be truly effective.…”

“…This review examined peer-reviewed academic literature published from 1 January 2014 to 30 January 2020 to determine evidence of acceptability, feasibility and efficacy of cancer prevention and screening interventions for LGBTQ communities. This date range was selected to ensure that only the most recent and relevant research was included, given there has been considerable social and political change in the last few decades which affects the ways in which LGBTQ communities engage with health promotion and cancer screening and prevention (Newman et al, 2020). Relevant literature was identified by searching key databases with consistent search parameters and using EndNote as a data management tool (see Table 1 for a list of databases and search parameters, and Figure 1 for a chart of the selection process).…”

“…How might these interventions translate across settings, including to other Englishspeaking settings, and across those with different cultural, economic and political structures and practices? How can we make sense of potential differences in the way that LGBTQ communities engage with cancer prevention and screening interventions depending on their socio-cultural location within racialised, classed and/or disabled bodies, and across social generations(Newman et al, 2020)? And how can we better adjust to the continuously changing character of LGBTQ 'scenes'…”

Explaining effective mental health support for LGBTQ+ youth: A meta-narrative review

“…A systematic review found that research was more likely to identify barriers to accessing mental health support rather than facilitators to encourage engagement ( Wilson & Cariola, 2019 ). In addition, there is an absence of focus on intersectional factors such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status and disability in LGBTQ+ ​youth mental health care ( Craig, McInroy, Austin, Smith, & Engle, 2012 ; Newman et al., 2020 ; Riggs & Treharne, 2017 ). Newman et al.…”

Waiting to be seen: social perspectives on trans health

“…Achieving health equity for trans people will require an ambitious combination of political will, community support and robust health systems. Even in Australia, where there is arguably a well-developed approach to providing gender affirming forms of health care, access depends on age, location, citizenship status, and financial capacity (particularly to gender affirming surgery which is not subsidised by the publicly funded health system), as well as the intensive labour of health care consumers in identifying and securing access to appropriate care providers (Davies, 2019;Newman, Prankumar et al, 2020). Too often, trans people report encounters with clinicians and allied health professionals who are unprepared for providing the care that is needed.…”