Sexual and gender minority health in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A scoping review

International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances

Cindy Veldhuis¹  Suha Ballout²  Sarah Abboud³  Fatima Nadeem⁴  Kate Nyhan⁵  Tonda Hughes⁶ 

[1] Corresponding author at: Department of Human Development Nursing Science, University of Illinois Chicago, College of Nursing, 845 S. Damen Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60612.;Columbia University, School of Nursing, New York, New York, United States of America;University of Illinois Chicago, College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, United States of America;University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America;University of Windsor, Ontario, Abbreviation:;Yale University Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America;

关键词: Middle East and North Africa;    Lesbian;    Gay;    Bisexual;    Transgender;    Queer;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Researchers in studies from multiple countries suggest that sexual and gender minority people experience high rates of violence, stigma, and discrimination, as well as mistrust of health care providers and systems. Despite growing evidence related to sexual and gender minority health in North America and Europe, we know little about the health of this population in the Middle East and North Africa. Objectives: We aimed to comprehensively examine the literature related to the health of sexual and gender minority people in the Middle East and North Africa and to identify research gaps and priorities. Design: We conducted a scoping review informed by the framework recommended by Arksey and O'Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) tool. Data sources: We searched the following databases: PubMed (using Medline All on the Ovid platform), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (Ebsco), and Embase (Ovid). The search strategy combined terms for the geographic region of interest (Middle East and North Africa) and the population of interest (sexual and gender minority). Each was operationalized using multiple search terms and, where available, controlled vocabulary terms. Review Methods: Research articles were identified and assessed for inclusion using an explicit strategy. Relevant information was extracted and synthesized to present a descriptive summary of existing evidence. Results: Research designs of the 98 articles we reviewed included quantitative (n = 73), qualitative (n = 20), and mixed methods (n = 5). Most studies were conducted in Lebanon (n = 33), Pakistan (n = 32), and Iran (n = 23) and focused mainly on gender minority individuals (n = 46) and men who have sex with men (n = 32). Five themes emerged from the review: sexual health (52; 53%); mental health (20; 20%); gender identity (17; 17%); violence and discrimination (7; 7%); and experiences with the healthcare system (2; 2%). Although researchers focused on multiple health outcomes in some studies, we included them under the theme most closely aligned with the main objective of the study. Conclusion: Although our study is limited to few countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, we found that sexual and gender minority individuals face multiple adverse sexual and mental health outcomes and experience high rates of stigma, discrimination, and violence. More research is needed from countries outside of Lebanon, Pakistan, and Iran, including community-based participatory approaches and multi-level intervention development. Nurses and other healthcare providers in the region need training in providing inclusive care for this population.

【 授权许可】

Unknown