“What do you say to them?” investigating and supporting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the experiences and support needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people living in Sussex (UK), and the associated training needs of community practitioners working with LGBTQ young people. The aims were to explore the experiences of young people including bullying, ‘‘coming out,’’ and social service and educational needs, and to investigate how practitioners view the needs of LGBTQ young people. Twenty-nine interviews were conducted and analyzed thematically. Participants stressed the social and health impact of discrimination andbullying on LGBTQ young people as well as barriers faced in accessing services. Young people require support, yet practitioners lack the training to provide that support. Practitioners are open to this training and both groups of participants believe effective training should include youth in the development and delivery. There is an urgent need for the development of appropriate and dedicated LGBTQ youth training for all practitioners working with young people

“It's Complicated”: Collective Memories of Transgender, Queer, and Questioning Youth in High School

“…For instance, practitioners can draw from the current literature base and findings from this study to share first-person accounts of the needs and experiences of TQQ students. In addition, practitioners may develop individual, group, and school-wide interventions that attend to gender-complex education and counseling strategies (Sherif, Hamilton, Wigmore, & Giambrone, 2011).…”

Listening for commissioning: A participatory study exploring young people's experiences, views and preferences of school‐based sexual health and school nursing

“…As importantly, school nurses’ responses to the prevalence of discrimination and violence young people face in navigating their sexual health requires a specific skill sets and knowledge. School nurses are well placed to promote zero tolerance towards such damaging, discriminatory practices, while at the same time ensure the repeated call for confidential settings for students to disclose or share their concerns (Sherriff et al.,, Zeeman, , Pigozi & Jones Bartoli, ).…”

Tips for research recruitment: The views of sexual minority youth

“…Castillo-Mancilla et al, 2014;DeBlaere, Brewster, Sarkees, & Moradi, 2010;Hartman, 2011), and other research which has also reinforced the need for respectful study personnel and processes (e.g. Sherriff et al, 2011;Silvestre et al, 2006). In addition to the need for trust, participants in the current study and other researchers have highlighted the need to address certain factors to encourage minority group participation, specifically: address the practical issues pertaining to transportation and the difficulties many participants face getting to certain locations (Fouad et al, 2004;Nápoles-Springer et al, 2000;Woods et al, 2002); attend to the need for adequate incentives/vouchers as an acknowledgement of the participant's input, and make sure that participants do not need to cover 'out of pocket costs' (Nápoles-Springer et al, 2000;Silvestre et al, 2006); ensure that the research is seen as a priority by others (Silvestre et al, 2006), or it is seen as an important area to study by the participants (Nápoles-Springer et al, 2000); make sure that the research procedures are not burdensome and do not 'clash' with participants' other commitments (Woods et al, 2002); be mindful of the stigma associated with being 'non-heterosexual' (Silvestre et al, 2006;Wheeler, 2003), especially for sexual minority youth; and, always treat participants with maximal respect (Silvestre et al, 2006).…”

“…Understandably researchers often struggle to recruit participants from 'hard to reach' populations (Connell, McKevitt, & Low, 2004;Sherriff, Hamilton, Wigmore, & Giambrone, 2011), and small sample sizes are frequently an issue when conducting research with sexual minority young people (e.g. Lee, 2002;Lucassen et al, 2013;Sherriff et al, 2011).…”

“…Lee, 2002;Lucassen et al, 2013;Sherriff et al, 2011). Past research focused on overcoming the barriers associated with recruiting participants from minority populations focuses primarily on sexual minority adults or ethnic minority individuals (McCormack, 2014;Silvestre et al, 2006), with this body of literature indicating that minority communities have low levels of trust in researchers (Fouad et al, 2004;Nápoles-Springer et al, 2000;Silvestre et al, 2006).…”