Emergency care for youth who experience suicidality and identify as LGBTQ.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a leading cause of death in children; youth who identify as LGBTQ+ are at an exponentially higher risk of suicide. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of youth who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency care for suicidality as adolescents. METHODS: Hermeneutics phenomenology is the research method used in this study. Youth who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency treatment for suicidality when they were adolescents were recruited; fifteen youth enrolled. Individuals ranged in age from 20 to 25 years. Participants described their gender identity as male, female, non-binary, transgender female, and their sexual orientation as: female, demisexual, bisexual, gay, homosexual, lesbian, queer, asexual, and transgender. RESULTS: This study establishes that youth who identify as LGBTQ+ seeking emergency care for suicidality value: coping and control, acceptance from others and self, communicating with me about me, and moving beyond danger and distress. Lack of psychological safety-from the emic perspective-emerged as a critical finding. CONCLUSION: This research has strong implications for public health, policy, and research. Future research must seek to understand ways in which psychological safety is assessed in healthcare if we are to more deeply understand and effectively address the impact on health equity.

A need for trauma informed care in sexually transmitted disease clinics.

OBJECTIVE: This review examines trauma from violence as a risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among women attending STD clinics. The review also aims to suggest trauma informed care (TIC) integrated into STD clinics might more effectively address traumatic effects of violence linked to sexual risk behaviors among this population. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify empirical studies examining the relationship between multiple forms of violence and sexual risk behaviors among women attending STD clinics. RESULTS: All studies found high rates of violence including childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and/or community violence associated with high rates of sexual risk behaviors among women attending these settings. Researchers recommend screening for multiple forms of violence, interdisciplinary STD clinic services, and more trauma informed sexual risk reduction interventions to address multiple forms of violence found prevalent among this population. CONCLUSION: Women attending STD clinics very often experience multiple forms of violence during their lifetime. TIC to address traumatic effects of violence might reduce sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted disease rates for improved health outcomes among this population.