Queer Postsecondary Students' Experiences with Accessing Mental Health Services on Campus

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Thurseday I)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: New and emerging directions in research on SOGIE issues in education

Proposal

Theoretical Framework and Research Questions

My theoretical framework followed Foucault's understanding of discourse and power. Foucault (1972) refers to discourses as forming from social dynamics (i.e. language, actions, ideas and beliefs) culminating into a system that is understood by those within it. This can be interpreted as an exclusionary practice, resulting in an imbalance of power. Paradoxically, discourses are only as powerful as groups of individuals maintain them to be. Powers (2007) highlights that power “is productive of truth, rights, and the conceptualization of individuals” (p. 29). Thus, discourse and power are interrelated.

This study recognized the diverse and sometimes contradictory experiences individuals have translate to a more accurate picture of the experiences of queer students. Expanding on this notion, Foucault (1978) would add that taboo topics are such because they exist within a “multiplicity of discourses produced by a whole series of mechanisms operating in different institutions” (p. 33). Put differently, experiences with accessing mental health services on campus may be conflicting when juxtaposed to one another. However, it is the understanding that narratives, like discourses are not static and can be reshaped by those who are made aware of the inner-workings. Thus, it is possible to thwart discourses in such a way that makes it fragile (Foucault, 1998). Hence, when the students in this study are sharing their experiences or providing advice to students, they in fact are reshaping the discourses on queer identity and mental health.

As such my main research question was: What are the experiences of queer post-secondary students when accessing mental health services on campus?
My sub-questions were:
1) How can sexual orientation and/or gender identity of queer students be beneficial or play a positive role when accessing mental health services on campus?;
2) How can sexual orientation and/or gender identity of queer students play a negative role when accessing mental health services on campus? and
3) What advice or suggestions would queer students currently enrolled at the post-secondary level have for current and/or future queer students?

Methodology
Qualitative studies are valuable in order to better understand individuals’ lived experiences while providing room for groups who may be marginalized (Creswell, 2012). The semi-structured interviews I used sought to understand the experiences of queer students accessing mental health services. Given that multiple realities give rise to a holistic truth, semi-structured interviews provided that room for individuals to be descriptive in their account. As Marshall and Rossman (2006) posit, “the researcher needs to understand the deeper perspective that can be captured through face-to-face interaction” (p. 53). Therefore, semi-structured interviews allow for a “balance between the interview and the interviewee [in which there is] room for negotiation, discussion, and expansion of interviewee’s responses” (Hitchcock and Hughes, 1989, p. 83). Although the researcher designs the core questions, there is room for participants to explore other key points that may provide new insights into the subject.

Data Collection
Semi-structured interviews. From May 2018 to July 2018, I used purposeful sampling with snowballing when selecting research participants for this study. The participants selected self-identified as queer and had experiences when accessing mental health services on campus. A total of 5 participants were interviewed.

The participants were informed of the goals of the research study and were brief on the logistics of the interview via email, along with any ethical implications. Participants were encouraged to choose a location they felt most comfortable being in when participating in the semi-structured interview. After each interview session I snowballed by asking participants if they could recommend another person who would fit the criteria of the study. Through snowballing, it was my hope that the interviewees would suggest other potential informants, thereby being gatekeepers in this study (Singer, 1999).

The audio-recording produced from the interviews were transcribed and member-checked for accuracy. All interviewees were emailed a transcript of the interview that was password- protected within one week of the meeting. They were given one week to email back with any edits needed for the transcript. The interview protocol consisted of a 12 question semi-structured interview guide to allow participants to response to open-ended questions. The interview questions triangulated the personal experiences of queer students, personal stories when navigating the campus mental health system in relation to sexual orientation and/or sexual identity and advice they would give to prospective students hoping to pursue higher education.

All interviewees received a draft copy of the final major research paper, at which point they had one week to correct or change any information from the quotes used in their interview. Interviewees had the right to opt out of the study without any ramifications.

Document review. Secondary resources were collected as well to add depth to participant interviews. This included journals, articles, news reports and university documents (i.e. mental health strategy framework, reports on diversity and inclusion). The journals, articles and news reports included, but were not limited, to the University’s official website and student organized newspapers.

Research site. The university selected for my study had a list of LGBTQ Student Organizations that queer students were potentially associated with, including: three Drop-In Centers, eight Course Programs and four student organizations. An email was sent to all these organizations inviting participants to be included in this study. Study participants were all students from a large urban university campus. This large urban university campus is located in Toronto, Ontario with approximately 18,000 graduate students and 70,000 undergraduate students.

Data Analysis
I examined the interview transcripts extensively in order to familiarize myself with the content. This included reading and examining the interview transcripts extensively in order to understand the participants’ perspectives and draw connections. Through content analysis, I identified themes that emerged from the transcript.

Significance of the Study
As post-secondary institutions continue to face increasing waves of enrollment, including prospective students self-identifying as queer, it is imperative that campuses demonstrate a capacity to support them in all aspects of being a student. Institutions of higher education may provide universal supports that can help all students but neglecting training and programming that specifically support queer students is an obligation that post-secondary institutions cannot afford to mitigate.

This study may inform policy makers, student affairs professionals and higher education staff providing mental health service about the current challenges that queer students with mental health conditions face and what practices have aided them in their journey as a student. This study provides insights for queer students considering higher education on how they can navigate the current state of mental health services to effectively address their needs.

Author

• Joanne Lieu, University of Toronto