Private Lives 3
2020-2021
Adam O. Hill, Adam Bourne, Ruth McNair, Marina Carman, Anthony Lyons
Private Lives 3 is the third iteration of the Private Lives surveys. Private Lives 3 is Australia’s largest national survey of the health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people to date. It was conducted by the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University. The survey provides vital information for health professionals, service providers, community organisations and governments to better understand and support the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people in Australia. Private Lives 3 was jointly funded by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Reports
2020
A national survey of the health and wellbeing of LGBTIQ people in Australia
Adam O. Hill, Adam Bourne, Ruth McNair, Marina Carman and Anthony Lyons
This report presents data from participants of Private Lives 3 who were living in Australia at the time of the survey.
Download the Private Lives 3 National Report (PDF, 2.8MB)
2021
Private Lives 3: The health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people in Victoria
Adam O. Hill, Adam Bourne, Ruth McNair, Marina Carman and Anthony Lyons
This report presents data from LGBTQ participants of Private Lives 3 who were living in Victoria at the time of the survey.
Download the Private Lives 3 Victorian Summary Report (PDF, 2.6MB)
Broadsheets and research summaries
Since the completion of the Private Lives 3 survey and production of the national and state reports, the ARCSHS research team has been conducting further analyses to generate more nuanced knowledge of the experiences of LGBTQ adults. Some of these findings are reflected in academic journal articles, while some are presented in summary reports of this research. Research summaries are made available below as they are completed.
Journal articles
The Private Lives 3 research team will continue to produce journal articles that focus in on specific issues in more detail. These will be added to this webpage as they are published online. If you are not able to access them via the links below, please contact arcshs@latrobe.edu.au
- Out in Suburbia: Associations between residential location, mental health, and community connectedness among LGBTQ Australians
This paper explores how mental health outcomes and LGBTQ community-connection differ among LGBTQ adults by geographic location. Even when controlling for key demographic factors (age, income, employment, education, gender, and sexuality), cisgender LGBQ adults living in outer suburban areas reported poorer mental health than those living in inner cities. LGBTQ adults living in outer suburban, regional, and rural areas were less likely to feel part of the LGBTQ community than those living in inner cities. Trans adults living in outer suburban areas found their local communities to be less trans affirming than those in inner cities. Results suggest that geographic location influences LGBTQ wellbeing and community connection, confirming the need for accessible, place-based services and support. - Community connection is associated with lower psychological distress for sexual minority women who view community connection positively
Connection to the LGBTQ community in Australia is important for the mental wellbeing of some, but not all, LBQ+ women, and is contingent upon positive feelings about community participation. Sexual minority women's relationships to the LGBTQ community are often complex, and community connection and participation in and of itself is not a panacea for the negative outcomes associated with sexual minority stressors. - Experiences of reporting family violence among LGBTQ adults in Australia: Findings from the Private Lives 3 national survey
The findings of this study highlight inadequacies in family violence frameworks in promoting or facilitating access to services that could benefit this population. Encouraging LGBTQ+ people to engage with a regular GP, establishing family violence services that cater to the specific needs of LGBTQ+ people, and training family violence responders and service providers to recognise diverse relationship dynamics may improve support outcomes for LGBTQ+ survivors of family violence. - Cervical screening in LGBTQ people with a cervix: The importance of affirming services in reaching cervical cancer elimination targets
This paper examines rates of attendance and associated factors of cervical screening in LGBTQ communities. Trans men were least likely to access cervical screening, while bisexual, pansexual and queer identified participants were most likely to access screening. People who lived outside inner-suburban areas and those who had a disability were less likely to have had screening. Evidence of trusting relationships with a general practitioner (having a regular GP, and GP’s knowledge of the individual’s LGBTQ identity) increased the likelihood that participants had screened, as did recent access to a medical service that was LGBTQ-inclusive or catered specifically to LGBTQ communities. - The influence of care continuity and disclosure of sexual orientation in general practice on the use of mental health services among sexual minority women
LBQ+ cisgender women with a regular GP were more likely to have accessed mental health services in the last 12 months, and those whose GP knew of their sexuality were more likely to have accessed LGBTIQA+ inclusive mental health services. GPs may be missing opportunities to promote continuity of care through developing trusting relationships with specific sub-populations of LBQ+ women, which in turn appears to sustain inequitable access to mental health care. - Family Violence Within LGBTQ Communities in Australia: Intersectional Experiences and Associations with Mental Health Outcomes
While prior research has documented intimate partner violence (IPV) and family of origin violence (FOV) experienced by LGBTQ communities at rates at least comparable to heterosexual and/or cisgender populations, little knowledge exists of how this experience occurs within intersections of these communities and who is most at risk. - Preferences for Types of Inclusive Family Violence Services Among LGBTQ People in Australia
LGBTQ people are less likely to seek support and face significant barriers in accessing affirmative family violence support services. Efforts to improve family violence service access must be grounded in the preferences of LGBTQ people themselves. - Health intervention experiences and associated mental health outcomes in a sample of LGBTQ people with intersex variations in Australia
This paper examines associations between healthcare experiences and mental health outcomes among LGBTQ people with intersex variations in Australia, finding evidence of associations between suicidal thinking, suicidal attempts, depression or anxiety and negative healthcare experiences, including limited autonomy and consent, and challenges accessing psychological support. - Alcohol and tobacco consumption among Australian sexual minority women: Patterns of use and service engagement
This paper examines the sociodemographic and cultural factors associated with alcohol and tobacco use among sexual minority women in Australia. - Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and asexual (LGBQ) people in Australia: Correlates of suicidality among LGBQ Australians
This paper examines the demographic and psychosocial factors that correlate (positively or negatively) to suicide attempts and suicidal ideation among LGBQ people in Australia. - Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among trans and gender diverse people in Australia
This paper examines who among trans and gender diverse participants was most likely to have had thought of taking their own life, or had attempted to do. - Factors associated with experiences of abuse among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and asexual (LGBTQA+) adults with disability in Australia
This paper focuses on people with disability who participated in Private Lives 3 and reports on who was most likely to have experienced different forms of harassment and abuse. - Naming and recognition of intimate partner violence and family of origin violence among LGBTQ communities in Australia
This paper examines the disconnect between objective and subjective assessments of intimate partner and family of origin violence among LGBTQ communities in Australia and discusses the challenges people may face in naming their experience and seeking support.