Out of the Closet: Nurse Practitioner Faculty Knowledge, Comfort and Willingness to Incorporate LGBTQ2SA Content into the Curriculum

Background To improve the health of LGBTQ2SA individuals, nurse practitioners need to increase their knowledge related to the health needs of sexual and gender minorities. However, nurse practitioners often feel unprepared as a result of a lack of content in their educational training. In order to better understand the current state of nurse practitioner education around sexual and gender minorities, it is critical to assess educational preparedness and faculty knowledge teaching the content. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and experience of nurse practitioner faculty in Ontario around LGBTQ2SA health and their comfort level teaching this material in the nurse practitioner program. Methods This quantitative descriptive study used purposeful sampling to recruit faculty from the Ontario Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program. Data was collected using a modified survey administered on the Opinio platform. Results Twenty-three individuals completed the study. Most participants felt that LGBTQ2SA health content was important, but rarely or never taught. The most frequently identified strategies to promote faculty readiness to integration of LGBTQ2SA health topics into the curriculum included faculty development seminars, reviewing curriculum to identify gaps and partnering and utilizing LGBTQ2SA specific agencies as clinical sites. Conclusions Results indicate that barriers exist at the faculty level which may limit the extent to which LGBTQ2SA health topics are incorporated into the curriculum. Supporting faculty to develop their knowledge and comfort with this topic will allow them to better educate students to care for LGBTQ2SA clients.

Gender and Sexual Minority Research in the Digital Society

The chapter aims to deepen the theme of the participation of gender and sexual minorities in social research, with a specific focus on the new possibilities offered by the digital society. After defining the concept of “hidden populations” or “hard -to -reach populations,” the contribution focuses on the factors of greatest vulnerability of the LGBT population. Subsequently, the chapter aims to review the literature regarding the barriers to the sampling, recruitment, participation, and involvement of sexual and gender minorities, highlighting some strategies to overcome some of the main barriers, through a plurality of innovative procedures made possible by the so-called digital society.

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Alleviate Stress From Discrimination Among Young Sexual and Gender Minorities of Color: Protocol for a Pilot Optimization Trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Young sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) of color may face unique experiences of discrimination based on their intersectional positions (eg, discrimination based on both racial or ethnic identity and sexual identity). Emerging evidence suggests that mindfulness practices may reduce stress from discrimination and improve overall well-being among young SGM. Moreover, the omnipresence of smartphone access among racial or ethnic and sexual minority communities provides a method through which to administer mindfulness-based interventions among young SGMs of color. OBJECTIVE This paper outlines the protocol of the Optimizing a Daily Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Stress from Discrimination among Young Sexual and Gender Minorities of Color (REDUCE) study, a pilot optimization trial of a smartphone-based mindfulness intervention that was developed in conjunction with the Healthy Minds Program (HMP) with the aim of reducing stress from discrimination among young SGMs. METHODS In total, 80 young (ages 18-29 years) SGMs of color will be enrolled in the study. The HMP is a self-guided meditation practice, and participants will be randomized to either a control condition or an intervention that uses a neuroscience-based approach to mindfulness. We will use the multiphase optimization strategy to assess which combination of mindfulness interventions is the most effective at reducing stress from discrimination among young SGMs of color. A combination of mindfulness-based meditation intervention components will be examined, comprising mindfulness-based practices of awareness, connection, and purpose. Awareness refers to the practice of self-awareness, which reduces the mind’s ability to be distracted and instead be present in the moment. Connection refers to the practice of connection with oneself and others and emphasizes on empathy and compassion with oneself and others. Purpose encourages goal-making in accordance with one’s values and management of behavior in accordance with these goals. In addition, we will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the HMP application among young SGMs of color. RESULTS The REDUCE study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of New York University, and recruitment and enrollment began in the winter of 2021. We expect to complete enrollment by the summer of 2022. The results will be disseminated via social media, journal articles, abstracts, or presentations, as well as to participants, who will be given the opportunity to provide feedback to the researchers. CONCLUSIONS This optimization trial is designed to test the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of implementing an application-based, mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress from discrimination and improve well-being among young SGMs of color. Evidence from this study will assist in the creation of a sustainable, culturally relevant mobile app–based mindfulness intervention to reduce stress from discrimination among young SGMs of color. CLINICALTRIAL Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05131360; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05131360 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/35593

Strengthening Capacities Towards a Resilient Future: The case of Sexual and Gender Minorities in Tacloban City, Philippines after the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan

<p>This thesis explores the experiences, challenges, and roles of people who identify as sexual and gender minorities in the context of disaster risk reduction management and practices. In recent decades, national and international institutions have exerted substantial efforts to reduce disaster risk and strengthen disaster management. In response to the increasing number and magnitude of weather events and climate impacts worldwide, this thesis takes into consideration the significance of equity and inclusion in different stages of disaster risk reduction management (DRRM). It focuses particularly on recovery and rehabilitation activities that can build resilience towards disasters. As a case study, it investigates the post-disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts carried out in Tacloban City after the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Typhoon Yolanda, in November 2013. The tropical storm left thousands of casualties, with millions of people homeless and/or displaced, forcing them to live in a temporary or permanent shelter. The research approach was transformative and informed by principles of participatory action research. The methodology followed the appreciative inquiry process of the 4 D’s - Discovery, Dream, Design, Destiny. This approach was strength-based and involved working with local, community organisations and government officials. Data were collected using key-informant interviews, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (including some participatory techniques), and a structured survey of residents in the city and permanent shelters. These data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study reveals how post-disaster interventions and strategies after Typhoon Haiyan reflected heterosexist assumptions, which undermined recovery and rehabilitation efforts. These assumptions, and the wider heteropatriarchal system of which they are a part, served to magnify some existing inequalities, vulnerabilities, and social exclusion based on gender and sexuality. This social system, however, also facilitated the development and/or realisation of endogenous skills and capacities of gender minorities. As such, they were able to take leadership roles and carry out recovery activities unavailable to heterosexual residents. In light of this data, I argue that people who identify as sexual gender minorities are potentially a neglected resource in times of disaster and recovery. If their capabilities were recognised and integrated into DRRM policies and practice, efforts could be enhanced to promote recovery and resilience in hazard-affected communities. Additional work is also needed to challenge the wider system of heteropatriarchy outside of times of disaster to minimise further marginalisation of gender sexual minorities during post-disaster relief and rehabilitation. Overall, this research contributes towards the development of a shared understanding about how a community's capacities and/or strengths can be improved and utilized within disaster risk reduction management and practices by focusing on sexuality and gender.</p>