A qualitative exploration of the perceptions of Cardiff University medical students towards the barriers faced by the LGBTQ+ population when accessing mental health care

Introduction Several mental disorders are more common within the LGBTQ+ population, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Despite this, LGBTQ+ individuals face more barriers when accessing mental health services than the general population. Objectives The primary aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of Cardiff University medical students on the barriers faced by LGBTQ+ individuals when accessing mental health help. The study also aimed to assess recommendations Cardiff University medical students have for improvement of services and to make them more accessible to LGBTQ+ individuals. Methods A qualitative approach was used. An online questionnaire was created and distributed among Cardiff University medical students. It included 10 open-ended questions about their knowledge of LGBTQ+ mental health, the barriers to accessing it, and recommendations to decrease these barriers. Thematic analysis was performed on the answers. Results The questionnaire had 12 participants. The thematic analysis produced 22 subthemes, which were grouped into the following five themes: i) perceptions of LGBTQ+ mental health, ii) factors affecting LGBTQ+ mental health, iii) general barriers to accessing mental health help, iv) LGBTQ+-specific barriers to accessing mental health help, and v) recommendations to improve access to mental health services. A scoping review was conducted on this subject to further analyse the current research. The scoping review produced nine studies, and the main themes that emerged were mental health stigma, LGBTQ+ discrimination, lack of LGBTQ+-affirmative services, the pathologisation of LGBTQ+ status, and financial barriers. Conclusions It was evident that more formal training on LGBTQ+ mental health at an undergraduate level for health professionals is needed, and that a lack of this is causing barriers to adequate provision of mental health services to this population. Furthermore, existing mental health services need to be more LGBTQ+-affirmative. Further research with a higher response rate could provide more generalisable results. Disclosure of Interest None Declared