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Digital intervention in improving the outcomes of mental health among LGBTQ+ youth: a systematic review

Liu, Yanni, Wu, Ying Cheng, Fu, Hongpeng, Guo, Wu Yuan, Wang, Xukang·2023·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1242928PMC PMC10556462
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Abstract

LGBTQ+ youth experience mental health disparities and higher rates of mental disorders due to barriers to accessing care, including insufficient services and the anticipated stigma of revealing their identities. This systematic review incorporated 15 empirical studies on digital interventions’ impact on LGBTQ+ youth mental health, examining their potential to address these inequities. This study innovatively categorized existing digital interventions into four streams: Structured Formal (telehealth, online programs), Structured Informal (serious games), Unstructured Formal (mobile applications), and Unstructured Informal (social media). We found that S&F and U&F effectively reduced symptoms. U&F showed potential but required enhancement, while U&I fostered resilience but posed risks. Further integration of emerging technologies like virtual reality may strengthen these interventions. This review identifies the characteristics of effective digital health interventions and evaluates the overall potential of digital technologies in improving LGBTQ+ youth mental health, uniquely contributing insights on digital solutions advancing LGBTQ+ youth mental healthcare.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1242928

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  • Many LGBTQ+ youth avoid seeking professional support for fear of encountering non-affirming providers, face geographic and financial constraints, or lack access to culturally competent services.

    “many LGBTQ+ youth avoid seeking professional support for fear of encountering non-affirming providers, face geographic and financial constraints, or lack access to culturally competent services altogether (Liu et al., 2023;Cohen et al., 2022).”

    From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Liu et al., 2023

  • Bragazzi et al. (2023) mapped generative AI applications for the LGBTQ+ community broadly, and Liu et al. (2023) and Gilbey et al. (2020) reviewed digital interventions for LGBTQ+ youth more generally, but none attended specifically to the intersection of AI and VR with the needs of LGBTQ+ youth.

    “Bragazzi et al. (2023) mapped generative AI applications for the LGBTQ+ community broadly, and Liu et al. (2023) and Gilbey et al. (2020) reviewed digital interventions for LGBTQ+ youth more generally, but none of these reviews attended specifically to the intersection of these two rapidly evolving technology categories with the developmental, psychological, and social needs of LGBTQ+ young people”

    From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Liu et al. (2023)

  • LGBTQ+ youth face elevated rates of mental health difficulty alongside persistent barriers to affirming professional care.

    “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth face elevated rates of mental health difficulty alongside persistent barriers to affirming professional care.”

    From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Liu et al., 2023

  • Existing reviews of digital mental health interventions for LGBTQ+ populations have addressed the community broadly or focused on general youth populations without attending to the specific needs of sexual and gender minorities.

    “Existing reviews of digital mental health interventions for LGBTQ+ populations have addressed the community broadly (Bragazzi et al., 2023) or focused on general youth populations without attending to the specific needs of sexual and gender minorities (Liu et al., 2023;Sharma et al., 2025).”

    From Artificial intelligence and immersive technologies for LGBTQ+ youth: a narrative review (2026) · cites this paper as Liu et al., 2023

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Citations

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Metadata

Authors
Liu, Y., Wu, Y. C., Fu, H., Guo, W. Y., & Wang, X.
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2023-09-22
Volume
14
ISSN
1664-1078
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1242928
PMC
PMC10556462
Cited by
21
References
16
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)

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