Holding All – Interviews with family, partners and friends supporting people who are living with suicidal thoughts in LGBTQ+ communities

‘Holding All’ explores the experiences, needs and strengths of partners, relatives and friends (aged 18+) who care for people living with suicidal thoughts and feelings in LGBTQ+ communities. This will include looking at the challenges that these carers face, their daily lives and what helps them, and what kind of support they need but might not be getting. In this research either the relative/partner/friend, the person they care for, or both could identify as LGBTQ+. The aim is to improve mental health social care support for people in this situation.

The study is being jointly run by two researchers based in a university (London School of Economics), three experts by experience and a mental health social worker. The National Institute for Health and Care Research is funding this study through the Research Programme for Social Care (Grant Reference Number: NIHR207639). For more information see https://www.lse.ac.uk/cpec/research/projects/unpaid-care/Holding-all

What they are looking for:

• They are hoping to interview English or BSL-speaking adults across England who are supporting partners, relatives or friends living with suicidal thoughts and feelings in LGBTQ+ communities
• This study may not be suitable for anyone who has recently been bereaved through suicide or who is themself living with suicidal thoughts and feelings
• The team are available to discuss these circumstances with anyone who is considering participation

Expected commitment from participants:

• If you get in touch to say that you’re interested in being interviewed, the team will ask you to fill in a short form providing a bit of information about yourself (the information in this form will be destroyed before the end of the study). Someone will then get back to you to let you know if you are being invited to an interview.
• They will then check in with you online or over the phone before your interview to answer any questions, to make sure you’re fully informed about what participation is likely to involve, and to give you a chance to meet the team member who’ll be interviewing you.
• The interview should take around an hour. The team would prefer to meet you face-to-face and can travel to wherever you feel most comfortable meeting for your interview. The interview may bring up some upsetting or distressing feelings, so your interviewer will check in with you afterwards if you agree to be contacted again.

Closing date to apply: ongoing, until the end of October 2026

Someone from the team will only meet you when you can manage it and feel ready. You can ask to be interviewed by a male or female researcher.

The research team will send you a consent form before your interview explaining your rights and the researchers’ responsibilities in the study. They can also send you a social story about the interview.

The interview can be arranged for a time and in a place that is most convenient for you, including over the weekend and anywhere in England. If you need to travel at all to meet the team, they will arrange or reimburse the cost of any transport you need. They can provide BSL interpretation if that would be useful.

You can ask to see the transcript of your interview and have the right to remove anything it in that you do not want to be included in the research up to two weeks after receiving the transcript.