Improving mental health of LGBTQ+ young adults through codesign
Theme: Technological interventions in increasing well-being
Type of research (qualitative empirical, quantitative empirical, mixed-method): Qualitative empirical
Description:
Up to 10% of young people between 18 and 25 identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LGBTQ+), or other sexual and gender minorities (SGM). A significant number of SGM people experience poor mental health, due to stigmatization, lack of safety, and lack of psychological resources such as self-esteem and resilience (Huijnk, Damen, van Kampen, 2021; Tan et al., 2020). Young people are especially at risk. Recent studies show that SGM youth are more than three times as likely to feel unhappy and experience more symptoms of anxiety and depression than their heterosexual peers (Huijnk & van Beusekom, 2021, Williams et al., 2021).
At the same time, waiting lists for professional psychological care take on average 10 weeks (Factsheet wachttijdinformatie ggz, 2022), while waiting lists for transgender care specially can take up to 3 years (zorgkaartnederland, 2023). Digital mental health interventions are scalable, low-cost and can be self-administered, and could potentially be used to improve the mental health of SGM young people without the support of a healthcare professional. However, few wellbeing interventions focus specifically on SGM young adults, nor are SGM young adults routinely involved in the development of such interventions.
In this assignment, you will explore the perspectives and preferences of SGM young adults regarding eMental health through a (online) participatory design focus group. Ideally, you design the overall focus group format together with other students working on the assignment. From there, you are free to focus on a specific topic and target group in consultation with the supervisor, for example, self-esteem in bisexual youth, anxiety in transgender youth, etc. As part of the assignment, you will also reflect with your participants on (the value of) the participatory design approach.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for students interested in qualitative research that are able to discuss sensitive topics with a vulnerable population. For recruiting purposes, it is recommended that you have existing (online) connections with the LGBTQ+ community.