Emergency care for youth who experience suicidality and identify as LGBTQ

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.

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.

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.

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.