Concurrent Sessions 4 - (NBCC CE Credit: #1 hr and Conference Attendance Credit: #1 hr)

207-01: A Qualitative Study of Experiences of Transgender Adults on Hormone Therapy in Medical and Mental Health Services
Katie Heiden-Rootes, Dixie Meyer, Renata Sledge

Summary
A vast majority (70%) of transgender and gender-non-binary adults report negative healthcare experiences as they seek both routine and gender affirming healthcare (Lutwak, et al., 2014). To center the voices of transgender individuals in their own care, we conducted an interpretative phenomenological study (Benner, 1994) through qualitative interviews with adults (n = 20, ages 21 to 58) currently receiving hormone therapy. The goal of the study was to understand their path through mental health and medical services. Results identified several themes including the dependency-autonomy dialectic in relationships with family and healthcare providers, looking for a "just believe me" medical and mental provider, (mis)gendered interactions with providers, becoming an "object" in the medical office, and the influence of family and childhood experiences on seeking care. Implications for policy, advocacy, family therapy, and education are described.

Objectives
-- To describe experiences of transgender adults with providers in medical and mental healthcare.
-- To understand the varied paths of transgender adults through the healthcare system for accessing hormone therapy.
-- To demonstrate the influence of family and social systems on seeking and accessing hormone therapy for transgender adults.

Subject Codes: gender identity, health care, family relations
Population Codes: transgender, trans*, U.S., inclusive of adults
Method and Approach Codes: phenomenology, applied research

207-02: A Review of the Literature Regarding People Who Are Intersex and Their Mental Health Outcomes and Relational Processes
Jamie Dellinger

Summary
It is estimated that 1 in every 1500 babies are born intersex (APA, 2006). There is very little known about the intersex population, as there is a dearth in longitudinal mental health research relevant to this community. In one large Australian study we learned that "60% of participants in a sample over 200 had thought about suicide, and 19% had attempted" (Jones et al., 2016). The purpose of this literature review is to discover and log current research regarding mental health outcomes amongst intersex-identified individuals, specifically adolescents and young adults. Relevant literature was systematically collected and thematically evaluated. This review will inform the sampling of LGBTQIA+ individuals in future research as identities should be differentiated and indicated clearly with an emphasis on the lived experiences of persons who are intersex.

Objectives
-- To review current literature available regarding the mental health outcomes of adolescents and young adults who identify as intersex.
-- To review current literature available regarding the unnecessary gender-conforming surgeries performed during infancy on people who identify as intersex, and their current assessment of possible mental health outcomes relevant to this experience.
-- To consider future directions and implications the current literature and future research may have on researchers, policy makers and community advocates.

Subject Codes: sexuality, family processes, gender identity
Population Codes: intersex, adolescence, emerging/young adulthood
Method and Approach Codes: advocacy, policy/policy analysis, social justice

207-04: Homelessness in LGBTQ+ Emerging Adults: Understanding Perspectives and the Role of Family

Mackenzie Kent, Julia Matos, Libby Rianda, Sarah Mitchell, Bridget Walsh

Summary
While research on LGBTQ identity and homelessness have focused on youth and the experiences of service providers separately, there is little research about LGBTQ+ homeless emerging adults. There is less known about how the perspectives on family - from both populations - can inform researchers and practitioners about the needs of this population with intersecting identities. Via semi-structured and in-depth interviews, this study explores LGBTQ+ homeless emerging adults' experiences and perceptions of family and home, as well as the perceptions of service providers of this population. Three themes emerged from thematic analysis: importance of intersectionality, ideas around family, and services lacking. Informed by these findings, the researchers describe implications for practitioners and interventionists who work with LGBTQ+ homeless emerging adults and families.

Objectives
-- To investigate homeless LGBTQ+ emerging adults on three areas: their experiences (Parker & Mayock, 2019; Shelton, 2016), their perspectives about family (Parker & Mayock, 2019), and their perspectives of home (Shelton, 2016).
-- To investigate the views of service providers who work with LGBTQ+ homeless emerging adults.
-- To prompt discussion about the emerging adult LGBTQ+ homeless community and their needs.

Subject Codes: homelessness, housing insecurity, family relations, gender identity
Population Codes: queer (used as an umbrella term and/or for those who claim it as an identity), homeless, home insecure, emerging/young adulthood
Method and Approach Codes: thematic analysis, intersectionality, qualitative methodology

207-05: A Latent Profile Analysis of LGBTQ+ Distal Stressors: Investigating Variability in Experiences
Alexandra VanBergen, Autumn Bermea

Summary
Minority stress theory states that minority stress is positively related to negative mental health outcomes (Meyer, 2003). However, little research has investigated the differences in experiencing minority stress among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community. The aim of the current study is to further understand the variation in experiencing distal minority stressors by identifying latent classes among a sample of LGBTQ+ participants. Four classes were identified among 334 participants: high minority stress, high minority stress without victimization, high vicarious stress only, and low minority stress. Differences in age, income, and depressive symptoms are discussed. Future research is urged to identify whether their samples (particularly convenience samples) represent all four classes or if it is biased by one or two particular classes. The identification of these classes is important when discussing distal minority stress and mental health outcomes, as results may differ based on class representation.

Objectives
-- Identify latent classes of distal minority stressors among a LGBTQ+ sample
-- Describe age, household income, racial-ethnicity, and distal minority distress of each class
-- Compare depressive symptoms between the four identified classes

Subject Codes: stress, discrimination
Population Codes: sexual orientation inclusive, all gender inclusive
Method and Approach Codes: qualitative methodology

Facilitator: Elizabeth Holman