Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Gender Studies and Sexuality
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Barriers and Facilitators of Help-Seeking for LGBTQ+ Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Systematic Review
Ciara Buckley, Aiswarya Radhakrishnan, Lorraine Boran, Maggie Brennan, Áine Travers
ABSTRACT:
Individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus.) are known to experience similar or higher levels of sexual violence compared to heterosexual cisgender individuals. Despite this, research on sexual violence has largely focused on heterosexual female survivors of male perpetrated sexual violence. As a result, the unique support needs and help-seeking patterns of LGBTQ+ survivors are poorly understood. This review addresses this gap by systematically exploring literature on barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence. Four databases (PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Web of Science) were searched to identify relevant material, with 35 articles (30 qualitative, 1 quantitative, and 4 mixed-methods) meeting the inclusion criteria. Data was extracted and analysed using a narrative synthesis. The topic was almost exclusively investigated cross-sectionally. Barriers and facilitators were categorized as intrapersonal and psychological (e.g., feelings of shame, guilt and the rejection of victimization), interpersonal and social (e.g., supportive or hurtful reactions to disclosure) and institutional and systemic (e.g., perceived or actual service capacity and willingness to accept LGBTQ+ users). Additional unique barriers were reported by survivors with multiple intersecting marginalised identities, in particular LGBTQ+ people of colour and sex workers. The analysed data indicates several implications for the development and improvement services to support LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence. It further serves to highlight the need for additional robust research, conducted with an intersectional lens, to further explore the needs of sexual and gender minority survivors of sexual violence.
keywords: LGBTQ+, sexual violence, survivor support, help-seeking, intersectionality