Research Rodeo 5
Hello everyone! There have been several new articles coming out, so I have done a research rodeo this week. This week, I want to look at three interesting articles which provide us perspectives on suburban LGBTQIA+ populations, how we can better explore the experiences of trans and nonbinary participants in our community, and the ways we can improve mental health treatment for gay and bisexual men in mental health. As always, if you would like access to any of these articles, please feel free to let me know. And if you come across a research article and have any questions about the methods or the results, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am always happy to talk about research!
Grant et al. (2023) “Out in Suburbia: Associations between residential location, mental health, and community connectedness among LGBTQ Australians”: Grant et al’s recent article looks at LGBTQ Australian’s living in the suburbs. LGBTQ people, and transgender people in particular, sometimes experienced high levels of psychological distress and fewer spaces which were welcoming of LGBTQ people. Living outside of metro areas, these families may feel removed from the LGBTQ community and isolated. If your nonprofit is in an area with fewer LGBTQ people or fewer resources for LGBTQ communities, it can be a great opportunity to start creating smaller pro-LGBTQ groups. Creating a community, even where it is small, can help limit isolation and allow LGBTQ people to feel more comfortable, especially those who may not fit into the heteronormative suburban lifestyle.
Woods & Smith (2023) “The misgendering and deadnaming survey: An innovative, co-designed campus change project to catalyze improvement” This study looks at the use of the misgendering and deadnaming survey for transgender and nonbinary students. This is a way to explore the experiences of misgendering of the transgender community and when it is happening. For organizations, this could be used to better understand the experiences of transgender and nonbinary clients.
Brisbin et al. (2023) “Treatment Goals of Sexual Minority Men in LGBTQ-Affirmative CBT” asks the question what are the treatment goals of gay and bisexual men. The main goals are:
Address Mental Health Concerns
Build Interpersonal Connections
Increase Assertiveness and Autonomy
Engage in Self-Improvement
Increase Affirmation and Acceptance of Sexual Minority Identity
Improve Self-Regulation
Improve Understanding and Management of Emotions
Increase Self-Esteem and Self-Understanding
Navigate Practical Life Concerns
Address Instant Gratification as a Form of Coping
Each of these goals look may look slightly different for LGBTQIA+ people due to the minority stress that they encounter. This article specifically recommends that:
Research can provide important information to professionals about the experiences of our clients and how we can better serve them. Especially for nonprofits who are not LGBTQIA+ focused but want to become more queer friendly, research articles can provide ideas and perspectives on the LGBTQIA+ individuals in their communities. If you want to read more about research, check out my previous rodeo’s: 4, 3, 2, & 1.
