LGBT-Specific Education in General Psychiatry Residency Programs: a Survey of Program Directors

• Published in: Academic psychiatry 2019-02, Vol.43 (1), p.41-45
• Main Authors: Hirschtritt, Matthew E., Noy, Gaddy, Haller, Ellen, Forstein, Marshall
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Censuses; Conferences; Core curriculum; Cross-Sectional Studies; Curriculum - statistics & numerical data; Didacticism; Directors; Drug use; Education; Female; Gays & lesbians; Gender identity; Geriatrics; Graduate Medical Education; Healthcare Disparities; Homosexuality; Hospitals; Humans; In Brief Report; Internship and Residency; LGBTQ people; Medical Education; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental health; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Physician Executives; Psychiatry; Psychiatry - education; Psychotherapy; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Sexual Identity; Sexual Orientation; Substance use disorder; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transgender persons
• ISSN: 1042-9670; 1545-7230
• DOI: 10.1007/s40596-018-1008-1

Objective Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and other sexual minority individuals are at higher risk than non-LGBT individuals for multiple psychiatric conditions and suicide. However, little is known regarding LGBT-specific training among psychiatric residents. The authors sought to characterize LGBT-specific training among adult psychiatry residency programs. Methods An anonymous, cross-sectional survey was electronically distributed to U.S.-based adult psychiatry program directors between February and April 2018. Survey topics included program demographics, characteristics of LGBT-specific training, perceived barriers to implementation, and anticipated needs. Results Seventy-two program directors (30.8%) provided complete survey responses. Over half (55.6%) of these programs had ≤ 5 h of LGBT-specific training (“lower-hour programs”). Lower- and higher-hour (> 5 h of LGBT-specific education) programs were similar on measured demographic variables, but lower-hour programs covered fewer LGBT-specific topics and program directors were more likely to report lack of interested or topic-expert faculty as a barrier to enhancing LGBT-specific training. Conclusions Results of this survey suggest a need for the development and implementation of LGBT-specific educational curricula for use in U.S.-based adult psychiatry programs. In addition, future research may explore effective ways for programs to recruit, retain, and support teaching faculty with LGBT-specific expertise.