Olivier Ferlatte

Université de Montréal | UdeM · School of Public Health

Pandemics are a component of human life, and have had great bearing on the trajectory of human evolution. Historically, the biomedical aspects of pandemics have been overrepresented, but there is growing recognition of the degree to which pandemics are socially and culturally embedded, highlighting how virus perception is socially and politically i...

Lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (SGM) women are at high risk of suicide. Stigma, discrimination, and exclusion are known risk factors. Contrasting longstanding trends of risk-focused research, this study examines the experiences of SGM women who have attempted suicide focusing on their embodied strengths and re...

Gay dating apps (GDAs) play a central role in partner-seeking for many men. The purpose of the present study was to explore health professionals' perceptions of the effects of GDAs on young gay, bisexual, trans and queer men (YGBTQM). Because health professionals have access to privileged information about YGBTQM's experiences with GDAs, they can p...

Wicked Bodies is a toolkit for addressing eating disorder in LGBTQIA2S+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit, and other sexual and gender minority) communities, an increasing prevalent issue that can have serious consequences on the health and well-being for LGBTQIA2S+ people. The toolkit consists of a series o...

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE)—often referred to as conversion therapy—are practices that aim to change, deny, or suppress non-cisnormative gender expressions and gender identities and non-heteronormative sexual orientations. SOGIECE are ineffective and associated with negative biopsychosocial consequ...

Background To mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial resources, governments provided financial support (e.g., emergency aid funds) as well as family via personal assistance. This study aims to assess the moderating effect of financial support from the government or from family on the association between income loss and d...

Background: Epidemiologic studies point to multiple health inequities among sexual minority people, but few studies have examined mortality. Some causes of death are more preventable than others, and access to prevention is theorized to follow patterns of access to social and material resources. The objective of this study is to compare estimates o...

Objectives: Intimate partner violence and sexual violence organizations such as women's shelters play a crucial role in advancing gender equality in Canada. COVID-19 has challenged how such organizations operate. This study explored how intimate partner violence and sexual violence organizations in Canada have been affected by COVID-19 and the con...

While young adults experienced mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how their mental health needs were subsequently met through access to mental health services (MHS). From October to December 2020, we conducted an online survey of young adults (18-29 years) living in Canada and France to investigate factors...

Background ‘Syndemic’ refers to socially produced, intertwined, and co-occurring epidemics. Syndemic theory is increasingly used to understand the population-level relationships between sexual health (including HIV) and mental health (including problematic substance use) epidemics. Syndemic-informed clinical interventions are rare. Methods We ther...

Gay men living with HIV (GMHIV) are at relatively high risk for suicide. To inform tailored suicide prevention interventions, we conducted a photovoice study with 22 GMHIV with a history of suicidality. Our study findings revealed three discrete but connected themes characterizing suicidality among GMHIV: first, HIV stigma featured prominently in p...

In Canada, sexual and gender minority youth use opioids at disproportionately high rates. Yet, little is known about the distinct contexts of opioid use within this group, challenging capacity to develop well founded policy and practice supports. This case study aims to examine - in depth - the experiences and contexts of opioid use among a sample...

Gay men living with HIV represent a particularly high risk group for suicide; however, little is known about suicidality, specifically, resiliencies in the context of suicidality among this particular group of men. The current study draws on photovoice and grounded theory methods to examine the processes that underpin survival for gay men living wi...

Purpose: This article examines factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the past 12 months among lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, asexual, or other non-heterosexual identifying youth (LGBQA+). Methods: A national Australian cross-sectional online survey was conducted involving 4370 cisgender LGBQA+ participants age...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic may increase risk of intimate partner and sexual violence and make relevant services less accessible. This study explored the perspectives of intimate partner and sexual violence workers across Canada on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the survivors with whom they work. Methods Using a qualitative descriptiv...

Photovoice is a participatory action research method in which participants take and narrate photographs to share their experiences and perspectives. This method is gaining in popularity among health researchers. Few studies, however, have described virtual photovoice data collection despite the growing interest among qualitative health researchers...

Introduction: Gay men experience diminished quality of life (QOL) due to historical and ongoing discrimination; however, a growing body of work illustrates the ways men actively resist discrimination to foster well-being. Little is known, however, about how older, self-identifying gay men conceptualize QOL, and how their life experiences have influ...

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic may increase risk of intimate partner and sexual violence and make relevant services less accessible. This study explored the perspectives of intimate partner and sexual violence workers across Canada on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the survivors with whom they work. Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive...

Older gay men commonly conceal their sexual identity in healthcare settings due to past experiences and expectations of encountering stigma and discrimination in these contexts. Although insights on how older gay men construct their sexual identity in healthcare may help contextualize this phenomenon, this question remains under-explored. According...

Objective: To describe in what forms, with whom, where, when, and why Canadians experience sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE). Methods: This qualitative study is grounded in a transformative paradigm. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 22 adults recruited from across Can...

Lay Summary Two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (2SLGBTQ+) people experience poverty much more than the general population. 2SLGBTQ+ people and people experiencing poverty face poorer health and greater difficulty accessing healthcare. Studies focussing on the impacts of 2SLGBTQ+ status and poverty on health can help inform policy. W...

Background “Conversion therapy” practices (CTP) are organized and sustained efforts to avoid the adoption of non-heterosexual sexual orientations and/or of gender identities not assigned at birth. Few data are available to inform the contemporary prevalence of CTP. The aim of this study is to quantify the prevalence of CTP among Canadian sexual and...

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) aim to suppress the sexual and gender identities of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other queer (2SLGBTQ+) people. Exposure to SOGIECE is associated with significant psychosocial morbidity. Yet, there is a dearth of knowledge specifying the ways in which t...

PurposeSexual minority adults experience fivefold greater risk of suicide attempt, as compared with heterosexuals. Establishing age-specific epidemiological patterns of suicide is a prerequisite to planning interventions to redress the sexual orientation suicide inequity, and such patterns must be carefully interpreted in light of correlated period...

Background Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) are a set of scientifically discredited practices that aim to deny and suppress the sexual orientations, gender identities, and/or gender expressions of sexual and gender minorities (SGM). SOGIECE are associated with significant adverse health and social outco...

Approaches to knowledge translation (KT) that engage community stakeholders in the research cycle have been identified as particularly promising for addressing the “know-do” gap. Using the case study of a long-standing community-based participatory research (CBPR) project known as the “Investigaytors,” this article describes the development and imp...

Male suicide rates are high and rising, and important insights can be gleaned from understanding the experiences of men who have attempted suicide. Drawing from a grounded theory photovoice study of diverse Canadian men, three intertwined thematic processes were derived: (a) preceding death struggles, (b) life-ending attempts and saving graces, and...

Despite a growing body of evidence demonstrating that cannabis use is associated with mental illness among sexual and gender minority (SGM) men, little is known about the motivations, patterns and contexts that influence this relationship. Our study aimed to characterize how cannabis use features within the mental health-related experiences of youn...

In this paper, we present the findings of a qualitative study aimed at conceptualizing the service needs of aging gay men living with HIV (GMLH). Our analysis is based on interview data from 16 gay-identified men living with HIV, ages 50 and over. Drawing on a framework of intersectionality, which theoretically accounts for interlocking expressions...

Gay and bisexual men (GBM) are a high-risk population for suicide. While evidence is emerging that maladaptive externalizing behaviors such as substance overuse, anger and aggression, and risk-taking may be associated with mood disorder and suicide risk for men in general, the association for GBM has not been well researched. As such, the aim of th...

Background: Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) are a set of scientifically discredited practices that aim to deny and suppress the sexual orientations, gender identities, and/or gender expressions of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). SOGIECE are associated with significant adverse health and social out...

Background: Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) are a set of scientifically discredited practices that aim to deny and suppress the sexual orientations, gender identities, and/or gender expressions of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). SOGIECE are associated with significant adverse health and social out...

The geographic distribution of sexually transmitted infections reflects the underlying social process of sexual partner selection. This qualitative study explored the social geography of partner selection among sexual minority men and used the results to develop a mid-range theory of STI transmission. In-depth interviews with 31 sexual minority men...

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare depression and suicide literacy among Canadian sexual and gender minorities (SGM). Online surveys comprised of the 22-item depression literacy scale (D-LIT) and the 12-item literacy of suicide scale (LOSS) were completed by 2,778 individuals identifying as SGM. Relationships between depression an...

The objective of this study was to identify how cannabis use features within the sexual lives of young sexual minority men who use substances, and how this might intersect with features of their contemporary socio-cultural contexts in a setting where non-medical cannabis was recently legalised: Vancouver, Canada. Forty-one sexual minority men ages...

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals committed to "Leave No One Behind" regardless of social identity. While access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services has improved globally, people with disabilities continue to face enormous barriers to SRH, infringing on their SRH rights (SRHR). Uganda adopted pro-disability legislation to promote...

Suicide is a significant health issue among sexual and gender minority adults (SGMA); yet, there are no tailored suicide prevention programs for these marginalized populations in Canada. We hosted two world cafés with community leaders, health professionals, policymakers, and researchers to identify recommendations for mobilizing SGMA-focused suici...

In this article, we describe a community-based research (CBR) approach to making a national online survey of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) inclusive of transgender GBMSM by working with members of the transgender community at all stages of the research process. This collaboration resulted in 209 transgender GBMSM comple...

Good sexual health requires navigating intimate relationships within diverse power dynamics and sexual cultures, coupled with the complexities of increasing biomedicalisation of sexual health. Understanding this is important for the implementation of biomedical HIV prevention. We propose a socially nuanced conceptual framework for sexual health lit...

Objective Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), or “conversion therapy,” are pseudoscientific practices intended to suppress or deny sexual attraction to members of the same gender/sex. There are currently no data available to inform estimates of the prevalence of SOCE exposure in Canada. The objective of this study is therefore to describe the...

This study examines barriers to mental health services among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) who screened positive for depression and risk of suicide. Data from an online survey of SGM (N = 2778) are analyzed. 37.5% met criteria for depression and 73.6% screened for being at risk of suicide. The most frequently cited barriers to mental health se...

Globally, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) experience an increased burden of poor sexual, mental and physical health. Syndemics theory provides a framework to understand comorbidities and health among marginalised populations. Syndemics theory attempts to account for the social, environmental, and other structural contexts...

Abstract. Background: Gatekeeper training is a widely recommended suicide prevention intervention that encourages the development of knowledge and the identification and support of those at risk of suicide. Yet, this strategy has not been implemented among sexual and gender minorities (SGM), a group at high risk of suicide. Aim: The aim of this stu...

This study explored the drivers of suicidality from the perspectives of gay, bisexual, and two-spirit men (GB2SM) with a history of suicidality. Twenty-one GB2SM participated in this photovoice study taking photographs to depict and discuss their previous suicidality. Data were collected from in-depth individual interviews in which participants dis...

Background Globally, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) experience an increased burden of poor sexual, mental and physical health. Syndemics theory provides a framework to understand these interrelated health problems and how to intervene. Methods Comparative quantitative secondary analysis of syndemic-related data are prese...

Background Just as sexual health services do not always attend to the substance-related needs of individuals, substance use care tends to neglect sexuality and sexual health. The objective of this study was to identify factors influencing the acceptability of integrating substance use care within sexual health services for young gay, bisexual and o...

Background The geographic distribution of sexually transmitted infections (STI) reflects the underlying social process of sexual partner selection. Our purpose was to explore the social geography of sexual partner selection among sexual minority men and use the results to develop a mid-level theory of urban-non-urban mixing patterns between sexual...

The majority of research on sexual minority individuals relies on nonprobability community venue samples. These samples are prone to selection bias; however, empirical syntheses of evidence of these biases are not available. We conducted, therefore, a systematic review of published sexual minority health research to summarize methods used to identi...

While a significant health concern for sexual minority women, there is little qualitative research investigating their experiences of childhood trauma and suicidality. In this study, we used photovoice methods and an intersectionality framework. Drawing on qualitative interviews, we inductively derived three themes (a) Traumatized and discredited,...

The majority of cyberbullying studies are within the school environment. This quantitative study investigates cyberbully-ing among Canadian gay and bisexual men outside of the educational setting through a cross-sectional survey. Of the 7,430 respondents, 4.6% reported cyberbullying in the past year, with younger, Aboriginal, lower-educated, lower-...

Background: Substantial evidence has demonstrated that sexual minorities (gay, lesbian, and bisexual people) and gender minorities (transgender and gender non-binary people) (SGM) experience poorer mental health than heterosexual and cisgender individuals. Meanwhile, less attention has been given to inequities within SGM populations. Aims: This stu...

This chapter examines how photovoice, an arts-based and participatory action research method, can be used along with an intersectionality framework, to advance knowledge on health inequities and lobby policy solutions that are grounded in the lives of affected individuals. We present the processes and some empirical findings from a Vancouver, Canad...

Despite the high prevalence of suicide in gay communities, the impact of suicide on surviving male partners is poorly understood. This article presents a qualitative case study of two gay men who lost a partner to suicide and explores how stigma may shape gay men's bereavement experiences. Data were collected using pho-tovoice methods and analysed...

Background HIV risk and prevention information is increasingly complex and poses challenges for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) seeking to find, understand and apply this information. A directed content analysis of Canadian HIV websites to see what information is provided, how it is presented and experienced by users, was...

Background: Men tend to have low rates of treatment uptake for depression. The quality of the relationship with their family physician may be a factor influencing attitudes toward treatment. The present study was developed to explore this issue in a nationally representative sample of Canadian men. Methods: An online survey of 1000 Canadian men...

Although gay, bisexual, and two-spirit men (GBTSM) experience high rates of suicidality, there have been few empirical studies of prevention initiatives and policies that could address or reverse this major social problem. This article reports on a photovoice study of 29 GBTSM who had a history of suicidality or lost a fellow GBTSM to suicide. We f...

Context: Sexually transmitted infections (STI) and mental health and substance use (MHSU) disorders all occur at elevated rates in sexual and gender minorities. These overlapping epidemics, or syndemics, are exacerbated by challenges these same populations face in accessing sexual/gender minority-affirming services. Many publicly funded STI clinic...

Social isolation has featured as a significant and oftentimes all-encompassing risk factor for male suicide, yet, as an explanatory mechanism, it has not been unpacked in terms of what it constitutes in everyday life. The current photovoice study explores the various dimensions of the lived experience of social isolation, as embedded in accounts of...

Syndemics (socially produced intertwined epidemics) of psychosocial issues have been shown empirically to increase the risk of HIV infection among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). However, to intervene effectively identifying those who are most vulnerable is critically important. Using an intersectionality framework, this st...

Gay and bisexual men experience elevated rates of suicide ideation and attempts, as compared with heterosexual men, but face unique barriers in accessing health services. In this context, the present study sought to describe rates of health care engagement among gay and bisexual men with a recent history of suicide ideation or attempts. An anonymou...

Objectives: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective, HIV prevention strategy increasingly being accessed by gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). GBMSM face structural and individual-level barriers accessing PrEP, including awareness and cost. This paper assesses socio-demographic factors associated with awarene...

Aim of the study Extant research points to shame and guilt as salient affective experiences for men’s mental health outcomes. As the constructs of shame and guilt gain increasing research attention in relation to at-risk men, including those with recent military combat experience, history of sexual abuse, substance misuse, and suicidality, valid an...

Gay and bisexual men (GBM) are more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual men. This disparity is commonly interpreted using minority stress theory; however, specific pathways from antigay stigma to suicidal behavior are poorly understood. We aimed to estimate associations between multiple constructs of stigma and suicide attempts among adult...

Although male suicide has received research attention, the gendered experiences of men bereaved by male suicide are poorly understood. Addressing this knowledge gap, we share findings drawn from a photovoice study of Canadian-based men who had lost a male friend, partner, or family member to suicide. Two categories depicting the men’s overall accou...

As photovoice continues to grow as a method for researching health and illness, there is a need for rigorous discussions about ethical considerations. In this article, we discuss three key ethical issues arising from a recent photovoice study investigating men’s depression and suicide. The first issue, indelible images, details the complexity of co...

This study draws from intersectionality to describe variations in recent suicide attempts (RSA) among gay and bisexual men (GBM) across socio-demographics. Using survey data, logistic regression modeling explored RSA in two analytical stages: A) the individual effects of each socio-demographic were measured; B) two-way interaction terms between soc...

Background: We applied syndemic theory to explore the degree to which syndemic conditions explain the syphilis epidemic affecting Canadian gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Methods: Data from a national survey comprising 7872 GBMSM were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to measure associations between recent syph...

Men’s high suicide rates have been linked to individual risk factors including history of being abused as a child, single marital status, and financial difficulties. While it has also been suggested that the normative influences of hegemonic masculinities are implicated in men’s suicide, the gendered experiences of male suicidality are poorly under...

Gay men are a subgroup vulnerable to depression and suicidality. The prevalence of depression among gay men is three times higher than the general adult population. Because depression is a known risk factor for suicide, gay men are also at high risk for suicidality. Despite the high prevalence of depression and suicidality, health researchers and h...

HIV positive gay and bisexual men (GBM) continue to struggle with the pervasiveness of HIV stigma, but little is known about the health effects of stigma. In this article, suicidal ideation and attempts are measured among GBM living with HIV, evaluating the extent to which these experiences are associated with stigma and suicide. Drawing from an on...

Purpose: Researchers are increasingly using national population surveys (NPS) to understand the health of gay and bisexual men (GBM). However, valid inference from these surveys depends on accurate identification of GBM. Methods: We asked 8126 GBM in an anonymous, online, community-recruited survey about their willingness to reveal their sexual ori...

Bisexual and gay men are at increased risk of suicide ideation. Characterizing this risk requires self-disclosure of sexual identities; however, many will conceal their identity when interviewed. The authors investigated the impact of the resulting information bias within the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Expected probabilities of disclo...

Introduction Health literacy is an important determinant of health yet has not been formally applied to sexual health. An expert event brought 38 researchers, community members, and service providers together to explore gay men’s sexual health literacy (SHL). Methods Using a World Café method, three rounds of discussion posed questions about SHL in...