Post-migration psychosocial experiences and challenges amongst LGBTQ+ forced migrants: A meta-synthesis of qualitative reports.
Maria Gottvall, Calle Brunell, Anna Eldebo and 3 others
PMID 36320151WHAT IT FOUND
LGBTQ+ forced migrants described ongoing discrimination, asylum stress, fear, loneliness and practical barriers after arrival.
They also described resilience through peer support, chosen families, self-acceptance, hope and access to affirming services.
Key findings
01After arriving in host countries, LGBTQ+ forced migrants described repeated discrimination, violence, threats and exploitation tied to intersecting identities, and many concealed their identity to cope.
02Psychological distress included fear of deportation, loneliness, shame, depression, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and post-traumatic stress symptoms, often linked to asylum hearings and accommodation conditions.
03Resilience was described through peer support, chosen families, hope, self-acceptance, religion or spirituality, and support from mental health services, lawyers, social service workers and gender affirmation services; some migrants found peer or LGBTQ+ spaces unhelpful or harmful.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only English reports published in the previous 10 years were included, so relevant work in other languages or older periods may be missing. The included studies were mainly from North America or Europe, and participants were mainly cisgender gay men, so transgender migrants and other settings may be underrepresented. Two authors screened and appraised reports, and reports were included regardless of methodological quality, so selection and appraisal bias are possible. Some reports did not detail legal status or LGBTQ+ identity, limiting subgroup conclusions. This synthesis reports experiences and themes; it does not test whether peer support or any service improves outcomes.
Declared interests
Funded by Forte. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read peer support as a proven treatment. The review describes migrants valuing peer support, but it states there is no intervention research evaluating its effects in this population.