"It Was Traumatizing, Because It Makes You Feel Like You Are Not Right": 2S/LGBTQIA+ Survivors' Experiences Accessing...

2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) face multiple, intersecting barriers to accessing care, yet little is known about how these barriers are shaped by IPV-caused brain injury (IPV-BI).

This study aimed to explore how stigma and institutional trust influence 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors' experiences of help-seeking following IPV-BI. Guided by a Community Advisory Board, four semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 29 2S/LGBTQIA+ IPV-BI survivors.

Reflexive thematic analysis was used to examine participants' help-seeking accounts, with attention to minority stress and intersecting stigmas related to IPV, BI, and 2S/LGBTQIA+ identity.

The findings indicate that survivors navigated compounded stigmas that limited access to safe, affirming services and heightened vulnerability during help-seeking. Institutional trust was central to participants' decisions to disclose sensitive information and engage in care, with confidentiality emerging as a critical determinant of perceived safety. Participants described negotiating disclosure, anticipating discrimination, and avoiding services when systems were perceived as unsafe or unresponsive.

These findings highlight the need for service systems to integrate IPV-BI into screening and support protocols, provide training on the intersections of IPV, BI, and 2S/LGBTQIA+ identities, and centre confidentiality as a condition for trust and access, ultimately fostering safer, more responsive systems of care.