Queer Futures: Investigating LGBTQ Youth Self-Harm and Suicide in England

11 March 2015

Queer Futures is a two year study that is designed to understand the experiences and perspectives of young (16-25 years old) LGBTQ people in order to help reduce their risk of self-harm and suicide. We are particularly interested in how gender and sexuality may influence young people’s distress.

We plan to listen to young LGBTQ people’s opinions and experiences to make it easier to find ways to help young LGBTQ people in distress.

Keywords

Ethical approval

This study has ethical approval from the NHS and from Lancaster University.

About the researcher

There are three researchers running this project; Liz McDermott and Vic Rawlings from Lancaster University; and Liz Hughes from Huddersfield University.

Dr Elizabeth McDermott is a Senior Lecturer based at Lancaster University. Before working at Lancaster, Liz also worked at York University as well as in the NHS. Liz’s work focuses on the health and wellbeing of young LGBTQ people, with a focus on self-harm, suicide and help seeking. Liz identifies as a lesbian woman.

Working with Liz is Dr Victoria Rawlings, a Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University. Vic has come to the UK from Sydney, Australia, in order to work on this project. Her research has previously looked at the pressures that young people face in school, specifically related to their gender and sexuality. Vic identifies as a gay woman.

Professor Liz Hughes is the third researcher in this project and has a background in psychology and mental health nursing alongside research in health services. Liz researches and teaches at the University of Huddersfield. Liz identifies as a straight woman.

The study is being funded by the Department of Health Policy Research Programme and aims to produce knowledge that can contribute to ‘the Government’s Preventing suicide in England’ (2012) Strategy. This strategy recommends tailoring approaches to improve the mental health of specific groups, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and children and young people. It is hoped that the results of this study will assist in understanding the needs of young LGBTQ people when they are in distress and therefore assist in reducing the risk of self-harm and suicide.