Elizabeth McDermott

McDermott earned her doctoral degree at the Lancaster University, where she studied the influence of lesbian identity and social class on wellbeing.[1] She was a postdoctoral researcher on a project that looked to understand how people affected by cancer understood end of life issues.[2]

In 2006 McDermott joined the University of York as an Assistant Professor.[3] She returned to Lancaster University in 2013. From 2014 McDermott led the Department of Health and Social Care study into LGBT youth suicide.[4][5] The research programme looked to understand why LGBT young people have a higher risk of suicide than their heterosexual counterparts.[5] The programme came to be known as Queer Futures,[6] and identified that 70% of young people have experienced discrimination or bullying related to their sexual orientation.[7] She also identified that 4 out of 5 young people hid their sexual orientation or gender identity, and those that hide their gender identity are almost two times as likely to self-harm.[8][7] The study contributed to the SAGE Encyclopaedia of LGBTQ Studies.[9] The LBGT youth suicide project expanded into the National Institute for Health Research Queer Futures 2,[10] which looks to improve the mental health provision for LGBT young people.[11] Queer Futures 2 partnered with The Blueprint study, which looked at community-based mental health provision.[12][13] McDermott has worked with the National Health Service to implement findings based on her research, including LGBT awareness training, remarking that ‘We need to provide safe and non-judgemental environments for young people to talk about their sexualities, and mental health services outside the clinical environment’.[14]

McDermot serves on the Board of Trustees of the Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voluntary and Community Organisations.[15]

Her publications include;

• McDermott, Elizabeth; Roen, Katrina; Scourfield, Jonathan (2008-11-01). "Avoiding shame: young LGBT people, homophobia and self‐destructive behaviours". Culture, Health & Sexuality. 10 (8): 815–829. doi:10.1080/13691050802380974. ISSN 1369-1058. PMID 18975229. S2CID 2215912.
• McDermott, Elizabeth; Graham, Hilary (2005-03-01). "Resilient Young Mothering: Social Inequalities, Late Modernity and the 'Problem' of 'Teenage' Motherhood". Journal of Youth Studies. 8 (1): 59–79. doi:10.1080/13676260500063702. ISSN 1367-6261. S2CID 144485496.
• McDermott, Elizabeth (2006-05-01). "Surviving in Dangerous Places: Lesbian Identity Performances in the Workplace, Social Class and Psychological Health". Feminism & Psychology. 16 (2): 193–211. doi:10.1177/0959-353506062977. ISSN 0959-3535. S2CID 145145743.
• McDermott, Elizabeth (8 April 2016). Queer youth, suicide and self-harm : troubled subjects, troubling norms. Roen, Katrina. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire. ISBN 978-1-137-00345-4. OCLC 946358035.