Informal digital peer support for mental health: understanding the digital support practices of LGBTQ+ young people in Australia (journal article)

A new journal article from the Digital Peer Support study was recently published, authored by Paul Byron (UTS) and Lisa McDaid (UQ). The paper uses survey data from LGBTQ+ young people in Australia to explore their informal peer support practices regarding mental health. We consider how participants’ everyday social media use offers an important site for mental health support and we draw attention to the social media platforms, people, and digital practices involved in this support. We argue that attention to these informal care practices can improve our understanding of what care and support looks and feels like for many LGBTQ+ young people, which can in turn guide formal and community-based mental health initiatives. The paper is open access and can be found here. We wish to thank all LGBTQ+ young people who contributed responses to this survey.