Table 2 Sample characteristics of included reports
Author (Year) | Study Location | Type of Data and Study Design | Method of recruitment | Aim of Study | Sample Size (N) | Sexual Identity | Heterosexual comparison group | Race/ Ethnicity | Age (M, Mdn, Range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wołowicz 2021 | Poland | Primary, qualitative | Snowball sampling, with support of disability or LGBT-focused NGOs and websites | Understand disabled sexual minority women (SMW)’s everyday experiences of intimacy and care | 11 | 9% bisexual women, 9% pansexual women, 82% lesbian women | No | Not reported | M: 38.8, range: 30–47 |
Voina 2022 | Romania | Primary, cross-sectional survey | Snowball sampling via Romanian Facebook groups of the LGBTQ community | Map workplace discrimination experiences of LGBTQ individuals, based on gender identity, across Romania | 10 | 50% gay men, 20% lesbian women, 10% transgender men, 20% bisexual or pansexual | No | Not reported | Range: 19–40 |
Stokłosa 2021 | Poland | Primary, cross-sectional survey | Approximately 60,000 university students at the 50 biggest universities in Poland were directly contacted via email or social media form | Assess sexual behavior of university students | 5,964 | Female participants: 90% heterosexual, 9% bisexual, 2% homosexual Male participants: 83% heterosexual, 5% bisexual, 12% homosexual | Yes | Not reported | M: 22 |
Stojanovski 2018 | North Macedonia | Primary, mixed-methods | Snowball sampling | Investigate whether differences in experiences of discrimination are associated with social anxiety and rumination among sexual and gender minorities in North Macedonia | 396 | Among total sample across all genders: 47% straight, 22% gay, 7% lesbian, 18% bisexual, 2% pansexual, 4% not reported | Yes | SGM participants: 95.3% Macedonian; 4.8% Non-Macedonian Non-SGM participants: 93.8% Macedonian; 6.3% Non-Macedonian | Range among total sample: 18–30 SGM participants: M: 23.0, SD: 3.7 Non-SGM participants: M: 23.5, SD: 3.7 |
Stojanovski 2019 | North Macedonia | Primary, qualitative | Snowball sampling | Present a needs assessment of SGM minorities in North Macedonia. The study identifies relevant health needs and the social, cultural, and political determinants of these health needs | 71 total; 6 participated in in-depth interviews, 65 in focus groups | All genders: 41% gay, 26% lesbian, 13% bisexual, 13% straight, 4% queer, 1% pansexual, 1% uncertain | No | 67% Macedonian, 14% Albanian, 7% Roma, 4% Serbian, 3% Turkish, 4% Other | M: 25.8, range: 18–42 |
Stemmler 2015 | Czechia | Primary, cross-sectional survey | Time-site survey at cafes, bars, beer gardens; potential respondents were approached by researchers | Examine HIV risk, substance use, and sexual behaviors among adults in Prague | 124 | 76% heterosexual women, 9% homosexual women, 8% bisexual women, 3% transsexual | Yes | Not reported | M: 29, range: 18–67 |
Stasińska 2022 | Poland | Primary, qualitative (ethnographic) | Recruited from broader sample of FOCIP project or via snowball sampling | Understand the sexuality of nonheterosexual people from a geographic perspective by examining the impacts of local cultural norms and socio-political conditions on their sexual perspectives and experiences | 53 individual interviews, ethnography of 21 nonheterosexual families | Not reported | No | Not reported | Not reported |
Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik 2021 | Poland | Secondary, laboratory results, cross-sectional | Analysis of laboratory results of HIV testing from doctors and testing centers | Evaluate the epidemiological situation of new HIV infections and AIDS cases and deaths in Poland in 2019 | Total number of HIV tests: 41,817 (provided number of tests taken, rather than number of individuals who took tests) | No sample size provided; among 41,817 HIV tests under study, 1,018 (2%) were among SMW. Out of the 14,765 tests from women overall, 295 (2%) were from women reporting sexual contacts with women, and 723 (6%) were from women reporting sexual contacts with men and women | Yes | Not reported | Range: under 18 to over 65 |
Niedźwiedzka-Stadnik 2022 | Poland | Secondary, laboratory results, cross-sectional | Analysis of laboratory results of HIV testing from doctors and testing centers | Evaluate the epidemiological situation of new HIV infections and AIDS cases and deaths in Poland in 2020 | Total number of HIV tests provided: 23,376 (provided number of tests taken, rather than number of individuals who took tests) | No sample size provided; among 23,276 HIV tests under study, 598 (2%) were among SMW; out of the 7,797 tests from women overall, 166 (2%) were from women reporting sexual contacts with women, and 432 (6%) were from women reporting sexual contacts with men and women | Yes | Not reported | Range: under 18 to over 65 |
Mizielińska 2023 | Poland | Primary, qualitative | Snowball sampling (part of the larger FOCIP project) | Examine “ways of doing and displaying families by older generations of lesbian and gay people in Poland. | 10 | 50% lesbian women, 50% gay men | No | Not reported | Range: 55–72 |
Mizielińska 2023 | Poland | Primary, ethnography | Not reported (part of the larger FOCIP project) | Examine the planned family formation and the experiences of lesbian couples | 2 couples (4 adults total) | 100% lesbian women | No | Not reported | Couple 1 are in their 40s; Couple 2 are 41 and 33 |
Mijas 2020 | Poland | Primary, cross-sectional survey | Online survey | Test a Polish adaptation of the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ) | 197 | 19% cisgender SMW, 64% cisgender SMM, 17% transgender individuals | No | Not reported | M: 31.93, SD: 8.37 |
Llullaku 2024 | Kosovo | Primary, quantitative | Snowball sampling and targeted sampling | Assess correlations between social stigma and self-reported anxiety, depression, and stress among sexual minority people in Kosovo | 103 | 22% lesbian women, 18% bisexual women, 40% gay men, 20% bisexual men | No | Not reported | M: 26.5, range: 18–50, SD: 7.8 |
Lasala 2011 | Estonia | Primary, qualitative | Snowball sampling | Establish perception of the changes in Estonia since the end of the Soviet occupation, as well as how lesbian and gay participants believed these changes personally affected them | 6 | 83% gay men, 17% lesbian women | No | Not reported | Full sample: Range: 32–52 The one female participant was 51 |
Kuhar 2014 | Slovenia | Primary, qualitative | Snowball sampling, or the link-tracing method starting with ads published on gay and lesbian websites in Slovenia or who were recruited through personal networks | Build a model to explain how (stigmatized) social identity coexists with individual identity in a heteronormative context | 36 focus group participants (of 443 total study sample) | 34% lesbian women, 66% gay men | No | Not reported | M: 27, range: 19–40 |
Koziara 2022 | Poland | Primary, cross-sectional survey | Social media | Explore the association between age, health determinants (e.g., resilience, self-esteem, depression), and minority stress exposure in Polish LGBTQ individuals | 518 | 47% Sexually diverse cisgender women (SDCW), 34% sexually diverse cisgender men (SDCM), 19% transgender and gender diverse persons (TGDP) | No | Not reported | M: 26.92, range: 19–70, SD: 8.53, Mdn: 24 |
Kowalczyk 2019 | Poland | Primary, cross-sectional survey | Email to individuals subscribed to local pro-LGBT rights mailing lists | Understand STI knowledge and sexual health of WSW and WSWM | 259 | 56% WSW, 44% WSWM | No | Not reported | Mdn: 30, lower-upper quartile: 28–34, quartile deviation: 5.77 |
Holliday 2023 | Moldova | Primary, mixed methods, survey and interview data | In-person, online, and snowball sampling | Examine the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental and physical wellbeing of LGBTQ + individuals in Moldova | Qualitative study: 12 Survey study: 86 | Qualitative study, across all genders: 8% lesbian, 8% heteroflexible, 8% panromantic, 17% bisexual, 33% gay, 42% pansexual Survey study, across all genders: 17% lesbian, 28% bisexual/pansexual, 34% gay, 8% heterosexual, 5% queer, 4% prefer to self-describe | No | Primarily ethnically Moldovan; many had multi- ethnic backgrounds (e.g., Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, Georgia) | Qualitative study: 50%: 18–24, 25%: 25–30, 25%: 35–40 Survey study: M: 25, range: 18–72 |
Butterfield 2020 | Croatia | Primary, qualitative semi-structured interviews | N/A | Assess discrimination against the LGBTI community | 17 | 25% lesbian, 13% bisexual women, 13% gay men, 6% queer/non-identifying | No | Not reported | Not reported |
Butterfield 2018 | Croatia | Primary, qualitative semi-structured interviews | Snowball sampling, social media | Examine the process of ‘coming out’ in rural and urban places and how it impacts the imagined hierarchical distinction between these two spaces | 17 | 25% lesbian, 13% bisexual women, 13% gay men, 6% queer/non-identifying | No | Not reported | 17.7%: 18–25, 58.8%: 25–40, 23.5% over 40 |
Béres-Deák 2022 | Hungary | Primary, qualitative (ethnographic) | N/A | Examine coming out and being out practices for LGBTQ individuals and their families and explore how different spaces (city, country) shape these decisions | 68 people who have or have had a same-sex relationship, 13 people who had a family member in a same sex relationship | Not reported | No | Not reported | Not reported |