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Objectives Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans* and/or queer plus (LGBTQ+) are at greater risk of mental disorders.1 2 We plan to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this group of young people using secondary data sets. For our research to determine the most pertinent factors related to potential disparities, we wanted to incorporate the views of LGBTQ+ young people into our analysis plan. Here we describe our Patient and Public Involv ement (PPI) process used to achieve co- design for our research. Methods We consulted our institution's ethics team who deemed that ethical review for this co-design PPI methodology was not necessary. We utilised information sheets and consent forms for involvement. We recruited young people from existing LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and charities as well as via social media. We held online focus meetings January-June 2023. Advisors were provided with vouchers for their involvement. Results Six individuals volunteered to form our PPI advisory group: five identified as bi and one identified as gay. Two identified as non-binary, two as cisgender females, one as cisgender male, and one as a trans male. All were aged between 18 and 25. Data sets were explained and presented to our advisory group. First, we asked them to rank the top 5 most relevant factors that affected the mental health of the wider population of LGBTQ+ young people during the pandemic from a list of twenty assessed by these datasets; factors ranked in the top 5 by one or more advisors are shown in graph 1. We found the most common factor was experiencing discrimination before and/or during the pandemic. Second, we asked them to rank the top 5 most relevant factors based on their lived experience of the pandemic from the same list; factors ranked in the top 5 by one or more advisors are shown in graph 2. We found the most widely mentioned was time socialising with non-household members. We present challenges and experiences for researchers in conducting PPI co-design, with lessons learnt to share. Conclusion Creating an advisory group made up of LGBTQ+ young people has developed the direction of our analysis plan. We recommend future research in this field should collaborate with this community to ensure their views are represented. This will ensure research relates to their lived experience and maximise the likelihood of practical positive change. References Plöderl M, Tremblay P. Mental health of sexual minorities. A systematic review. International Review of Psychiatry 2015 Sep 3;27(5):367–85. Mezzalira S, Scandurra C, Mezza F, Miscioscia M, Innamorati M, Bochicchio V. Gender felt pressure, affective domains, and mental health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents: a systematic review with developmental and clinical implications. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2023;20:785.
O′Shea et al. (Tue,) studied this question.