Mental Healthcare Needs and Experiences of LGBT+ Individuals in Malaysia: Utility, Enablers, and Barriers

• Main Authors: Ho, Sheau Huey, Shamsudin, Amirul Hakim, Liow, Jun Wei, Juhari, Johan Ariff, Ling, Sai Ang, Tan, Kyle
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2024
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/45264/; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12100998
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Access to mental healthcare is undoubtedly of major importance for LGBT+ people worldwide, given the high prevalence of mental health difficulties due to minority stress exposures. This study drew mixed-method survey data from the community-based KAMI Survey (n = 696) to examine the enablers, barriers, and unmet needs experiences of LGBT+ individuals in accessing mental healthcare services in Malaysia. First, we present findings from a series of descriptive analyses for sociodemographic differences in unmet needs for mental healthcare, barriers, and satisfaction levels with different types of mental healthcare. Next, we conducted an inductive thematic analysis of open-text comments (n = 273), with relevance drawn to Andersen's Behavioural Model of Healthcare. More than a quarter (29.5%) reported an unmet need for mental healthcare, and some groups (younger, asexual or queer, or participants living in non-major cities) reported higher unmet needs. More than three-fifths (60.5%) reported not knowing where to find culturally safe mental health professionals. The thematic analysis uncovered key contextual (e.g., mental health practitioners' stance, stigma, collaborative client-care) and individual (e.g., positive expectation of mental health services and anticipated stigma) attributes that influence healthcare experiences. Participants also identified resources that facilitate healthcare utilisation, such as affordability, availability of suitable professionals, and geographical considerations. The implications of our findings for the mental healthcare practices in Malaysia were outlined.