Current research suggests that a person’s identity changes after being diagnosed with Crohn's or Colitis, living with Crohn's or Colitis, or living with a stoma. However, this research has not considered the sexual orientation of individuals. Therefore, this study aims to better understand the experience of individuals from sexual minority groups being diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and whether their identity is affected as a result of diagnosis.

Some research suggests that there is a connection between mental wellbeing and whether a person accepts or rejects their illness identity. For example, people who are able to include their experiences of Crohn's or Colitis as part of their overall identity are more likely to have better psychological wellbeing. Whereas people who do not accept their illness identity into their overall identity are linked with having poorer mental wellbeing and a lower quality of life (Rassart et al., 2023).

Despite this, people who identify as a sexual minority, such as gay, lesbian or pansexual people are underrepresented in current research. They are not considered or included in the earlier mentioned studies and there are only a handful of studies which have actively tried to explore their experiences. Some of this research suggests that they may have a different experience of living with Crohn's or Colitis. For example, some have described feeling looked down on, as people have assumed their symptoms or condition was related to their sexual preferences.

Participants will be asked to attend semi-structured interviews which last for 1 hour; these interviews will be conducted remotely. You will be asked questions about your experience of being diagnosed with Crohn's or Colitis, any changes in identity after being diagnosed, and your experience of diagnosis as a person who identifies as a sexual minority. 

Participants must be at least 18 years old, based in the United Kingdom, speak English, and identify with any sexual orientation besides heterosexual, this includes: gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, pansexual, asexual and demisexual. Moreover, participants must have an official diagnosis of IBD, such as (Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Microscopic Colitis, Indeterminate Colitis, etc). This diagnosis must have been received within the last 24 months.

By entering your details, you are not committing to take part, but your contact details will be forwarded to the researcher, who will get in touch with you directly with more information. You will have the opportunity to change your mind at any time.