Understanding Suicidality Among LGBTQ+ Veterans

Overview:
We're looking to conduct 90-minute interviews with healthcare providers and government officials who serve LGBTQ+ veterans. We are also looking to conduct interviews with LGBTQ+ veterans with a history of suicidal ideation.

Background:
There are an estimated one million lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender and sexual minority (LGBTQ+) veterans in the United States, making the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) the largest healthcare provider of LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States. 1 Compared to heterosexual veterans, sexual minority veterans are three times more likely to report a lifetime suicide attempt, twice as likely to have past-year suicidal ideations and four times as likely to report being likely to attempt suicide in the future. 2 Compared to cisgender veterans, suicidality among veterans with a gender dysphoria diagnosis is twenty times higher. 3 These findings highlight the urgent need to understand these inequities better and deploy interventions that reduce them. This dissertation will address this need through three distinct but complementary aims. Aim 1 will interview LGBTQ+ veterans and those who serve LGBTQ+ veterans to further understand the complexities of suicidal symptoms. Aim 2 will analyze a longitudinal survey of LGBTQ+ veterans using the results from Aim 1 to guide the analysis. Aim 3 will work with experts to understand how to best communicate the findings to a wide audience. These findings will help inform best practices in the VHA and possible interventions for LGBTQ+ veterans who are experiencing a mental health crisis.  The VHA, being the largest provider of LGBTQ+ in the United States, can serve as a model for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention in healthcare.


Study Type:
Mixed methods

IRB Approved:
Yes

Target Sample Size:
60

Target Audience:
We are looking for diverse LGBTQ+ individuals

How to Apply:
Email Kim DeFiori at kdefior1@jh.edu

Study Contact:
Kim DeFiori
kdefior1@jh.edu