Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland is a research project that aimed to examine the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQI+ people in the Republic of Ireland and investigated public attitudes towards LGBTQI+ people.
In 2016, the first ever comprehensive report on the mental health of Ireland’s LGBTQI+ community as well as attitudes of the general public towards LGBTI+ people was conducted by Trinity College Dublin and published in association with Belong To and GLEN. That report, ‘LGBTIreland’ was based on research conducted by a team at Trinity. Now, eight years on, the new report – ‘Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland’ – involving over 2,800 LGBTQI+ people, builds on the findings from that initial report and includes a comparative analysis.
Key findings from the new study indicate that mental health and wellbeing have declined amongst the LGBTQI+ population since 2016, with significant challenges experienced by younger age groups and the transgender and gender non-conforming communities.
Significantly, since the 2016 LGBTIreland study there has been a:
- 17% Increase in symptoms of severe/extremely severe symptoms of depression
- 30% Increase in symptoms of severe/extremely severe symptoms of anxiety
- 33% Increase in symptoms of severe/extremely severe symptoms of stress
The Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland research was conducted by a group of researchers led by Professor Agnes Higgins in the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland. This study was funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) & Social Inclusion, Health Service Executive (HSE) and the What Works and Dormant Accounts Fund, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth through Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland. A wide range of organisations are also worked with us on this study, including other LGBTQI+ organisations, statutory agencies, and government departments.