White, Cooper and Lawrence, ‘Mental illness and resilience among sexual and gender minority refugees and asylum seekers’, 2019

Lucy CJ White, Max Cooper, David Lawrence, ‘Mental illness and resilience among sexual and gender minority refugees and asylum seekers’, British Journal of General Practice 2019; 69 (678): 10-11

Abstract

It is well documented that refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) experience high levels of mental illness. This is also true of sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) individuals. Based on a literature summary, we present the current research on mental illness in individuals who experience the ‘multiple minority stress’ of being both SGM individuals and RAS.

In high-income countries worldwide, hardening attitudes towards RAS are being spurred on by rising rates of international migration combined with policies such as those of the ‘hostile environment’ and ‘zero tolerance’. As individuals at the intersection of multiple minority identities, SGM RAS arriving in countries such as the UK not only have to navigate this complex socio-political and cultural context, but also have to navigate specific oppressions, such as reports of frequent rejection of asylum claims made in the UK on the basis of persecution for sexual orientation or gender identity. It is in this context that we present this research, aiming to draw attention to the existence of the SGM RAS population, their particular needs and vulnerabilities, and to highlight factors making them susceptible and resilient to mental illness.

In this report, the term ‘SGM’ is chosen over ‘LGBTQIA’, as ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘bisexual’, ‘transgender’, ‘queer’, ‘intersex’ and ‘asexual’ are terms originating in the Western world which may not be used or identified with by SGM individuals from other cultures.