LGBTQ+ cultural competency of Irish mental health professional students

Introduction: The LGBTQ+ community is often discriminated against and stigmatized resulting in greater psychological and emotional stress compared to heterosexual and cisgender people. Consequently, poorer mental health is often observed in this community. To alleviate these disparities, mental health professionals need to be culturally competent. Therefore, LGBTQ+ cultural competency was explored in a sample of Irish mental health professional students. Methods: A questionnaire was circulated among Irish students in mental health programmes. Out of approximately 700 students, 66 competed the survey, of which 23 identified as LGBTQ+. Results: In terms of cultural competency, participants reported significantly higher attitudinal awareness compared to basic knowledge and clinical preparedness. Further, cultural competency was lower for transgender clients. LGBTQ+ patient education significantly predicted cultural competency when controlling for demographic variables. Three themes were generated from the open answers: experiences of cultural competency training, affirmative but uninformed, and recommendations for implementing training. Conclusion: To provide adequate, affirmative care, cultural competency training should be a mandatory component of all mental health professional programmes.