Vaccine confidence low among 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness
Press Release
CAMH study one of the first to explore vaccine attitudes and uptake among this demographic
January 20, 2022 (Toronto) – More than one third (36 per cent) of GTA 2SLGBTQ+ homeless youth are unsure about or are not planning to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to newly published study in the journal BMC Public Health
. Lack of vaccine confidence is even higher among racialized 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. Participants who identified as Indigenous, Asian, Black, Latinx and mixed background were almost five times as likely to be hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mistrust in the healthcare system, previous traumatic experiences engaging with healthcare providers, barriers accessing the vaccine, and ongoing mental health issues were among the reasons cited by study participants for not getting vaccinated.
In the context of engaging with service providers, one study participant stated, “Homeless people are almost never viewed as actual human beings. We are almost always viewed as subhuman.” Due to this mistrust, youth discussed their fears of being experimented on with the vaccine. Another participant added, “I didn’t want to be the first guinea pig.”
“2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness face many compounding layers of discrimination and disadvantage and are more at risk of being infected with COVID-19,” said lead author Dr. Alex Abramovich, Independent Scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). “Therefore, there is an ethical responsibility and urgent public health need to prioritize vaccinations for this population as one of the many critical measures needed to address the health inequities they are facing during the pandemic, and will continue to face afterwards.”
This research is phase 2 of a longitudinal study to better understand the pandemic’s impact on homeless 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Dr. Abramovich collected data from January 2021 to January 2022 from 92 youth through online surveys. In addition, a select group of youth and frontline workers from youth serving organizations were invited to participate in virtual one-on-one interviews. Two policy briefs
highlighting key findings of this study were developed and include recommendations to prioritize the health & safety and mental health & service needs of 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.
2SLGBTQ+ youth were already over-represented among the homeless prior to the pandemic. Previous studies have indicated they account for as many as 40 per cent of homeless youth in Canada. Findings from phase 1 of the study released in the fall of 2021 indicated that one in three 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homeless have attempted suicide since the pandemic began.
In terms of key take-aways for government and service providers from this research, Dr. Abramovich added: “We must ensure that youth experiencing homelessness have accessible options when getting vaccinated, in terms of clinic location and appointment times, and vaccine clinics must be staffed with 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive and trauma-informed workers.”
Funding for the study was provided by Making the Shift.
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About The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please follow @CAMHnews on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Hayley Chazan,
Manager, Media Strategy,
media@camh.ca
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