Discrimination and mental health in the minority sexual population: Cross-sectional analysis of the first peruvian virtual survey.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
This study sought to evaluate the association between discrimination and having mental health problems in the past 12 months in the sexual minority population in Peru.Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a secondary database corresponding to the first LGBTI survey in Peru in 2017. We included adults who self-identified their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual/others. Both the exposure and dependent variables were self-reported by the participants. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to determine the association by calculating adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results
Out of 9760 respondents, more than two-thirds of the participants reported having been discriminated against or having experienced violence at some time in their lives (70.3%) and one-fourth reported having mental health problems (23.8%). In the multivariable regression model, the prevalence of mental health problems in the last 12 months was 72% higher for the group of individuals who experienced discrimination when compared with the group that did not experience discrimination (APR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.57-1.88). The association was stronger among who self-identified lesbians (APR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.65-2.64).Conclusion
The prevalence of mental health problems and discrimination was high in this population. In addition, we found a statistically significant association between discrimination and the occurrence of mental health problems in the last 12 months.
SUBMITTER: Soriano-Moreno DR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9165772 | biostudies-literature | 2022
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Discrimination and mental health in the minority sexual population: Cross-sectional analysis of the first peruvian virtual survey.
Soriano-Moreno David R DR Saldaña-Cabanillas David D Vasquez-Yeng Luigy L Valencia-Huamani Javier Antonio JA Alave-Rosas Jorge Luis JL Soriano Anderson N AN Soriano Anderson N AN
PloS one 20220603 6
<h4>Objective</h4>This study sought to evaluate the association between discrimination and having mental health problems in the past 12 months in the sexual minority population in Peru.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a secondary database corresponding to the first LGBTI survey in Peru in 2017. We included adults who self-identified their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual/others. Both the exposure and dependent variables were self-repor ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundHealth-related research on sexual minority populations in China is lacking, and research on sexual and gender minority women (SGMW, including transgender women and persons of other gender identities assigned female at birth of all sexual orientations, and cisgender women with nonheterosexual orientations) is even less. Currently, there are limited surveys related to mental health in Chinese SGMW, but there are no studies on their quality of life (QOL), no studies comparing the QOL of SGMW with that of cisgender heterosexual women (CHW), and no studies on the relationship between sexual identity and the QOL as well as associated mental health variables.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the QOL and mental health in a diverse sample of Chinese women and make comparisons between SGMW and CHW and then investigate the relationship between sexual identity and the QOL through the role of mental health.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted from July to September 2021. All participants completed a structured questionnaire containing the World Health Organization Quality of Life-abbreviated short version (WHOQOL-BREF), the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES).ResultsIn total, 509 women aged 18-56 years were recruited, including 250 (49.1%) CHW and 259 (50.9%) SGMW. Independent t tests showed that the SGMW reported significantly lower levels of QOL, higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, and lower self-esteem than the CHW. Pearson correlations showed that every domain and the overall QOL were positively associated with mental health variables, with moderate-to-strong correlations (r range 0.42-0.75, P<.001). Multiple linear regressions found that participants belonging to the SGMW group, current smokers, and women with no steady partner were associated with a worse overall QOL. The mediation analysis found that depression, anxiety, and self-esteem significantly completely mediated the relationship between sexual identity and physical, social, and environment domains of the QOL, while the relationship between sexual identity and the overall QOL and psychological QOL was partially mediated by depression and self-esteem.ConclusionsThe SGMW had poorer levels of QOL and a worse mental health status than the CHW. The study findings affirm the importance of assessing mental health and highlight the need to design targeted health improvement programs for the SGMW population, who may be at higher risk of a poor QOL and mental health.
| S-EPMC9996424 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundEarly adolescent years are marked by pervasive self- and peer-regulation regarding gender and sexuality norms, which can affect the mental well-being of sexual minority youth. During this developmental period, social media use is also emerging as a dominant mode of communication with peers, allowing for both risk and resilient behaviors that can impact well-being.ObjectiveThis exploratory study aims to examine how sexual minorities in middle school use social media, who they are connected to and for what purposes, and the associations between these behaviors and mental well-being compared with their heterosexual peers.MethodsIn our cross-sectional survey study of 1033 early adolescents aged between 10 and 16 years (average age 12.7, SD 1.21 years) from 4 middle school sites in the Northeastern United States, we conducted an exploratory study comparing sexual minorities (212/873, 24.3% of sample with known sexual orientation) with their heterosexual peers (n=661), obtaining an 84.46% (1033/1223; total possible) response rate.ResultsSexual minorities reported having smaller networks on their favorite social media website (β=-.57; P<.001), less often responded positively when friends shared good news (β=-.35; P=.002), and less often tried to make friends feel better when they shared bad news (β=-.30; P=.01). However, sexual minorities more often reported joining a group or web-based community to make themselves feel less alone (β=.28; P=.003), unlike heterosexual youth. Sexual minorities had higher averages of loneliness and social isolation (β=.19; P<.001) than heterosexual students. Sexual minorities were also twice as likely to have tried to harm themselves in the past (β=.81; odds ratio [OR] 2.24, 95% CI 1.64-3.06; P<.001) and were more likely to have symptoms that reached the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression definition of depression (β=.15; OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.25; P<.001). About 39.1% (83/212) of sexual minorities had no one to talk to about their sexual orientation. Sexual minorities were 1.5 times more likely to have joined a social media website their parents would disapprove (β=.41; OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.14-1.97; P=.004) and more likely to report seeing videos related to self-harm (β=.33; OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.06-1.83; P=.02) on the web than heterosexual youth.ConclusionsGiven previous reports of supportive and safe web-based spaces for sexual minority youth, our findings demonstrated that sexual minority youth prefer to maintain small, close-knit web-based communities (apart from their families) to express themselves, particularly when reaching out to web-based communities to reduce loneliness. Future longitudinal studies could determine any bidirectional influences of mental well-being and social media use in sexual minorities during this difficult developmental period.
| S-EPMC8482247 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSexual and gender minority (SGM; people whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual or whose gender identity varies from what is traditionally associated with the sex assigned to them at birth) people experience high rates of trauma and substantial disparities in anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure to traumatic stressors such as news related to COVID-19 may be associated with symptoms of anxiety and PTSD.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the relationship of COVID-19 news exposure with anxiety and PTSD symptoms in a sample of SGM adults in the United States.MethodsData were collected between March 23 and August 2, 2020, from The PRIDE Study, a national longitudinal cohort study of SGM people. Regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between self-reported news exposure and symptoms of anxiety using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and symptoms of COVID-19-related PTSD using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised.ResultsOur sample included a total of 3079 SGM participants. Each unit increase in COVID-19-related news exposure was associated with greater anxiety symptoms (odds ratio 1.77, 95% CI 1.63-1.93; P<.001) and 1.93 greater odds of PTSD (95% CI 1.74-2.14; P<.001).ConclusionsOur study found that COVID-19 news exposure was positively associated with greater symptoms of anxiety and PTSD among SGM people. This supports previous literature in other populations where greater news exposure was associated with poorer mental health. Further research is needed to determine the direction of this relationship and to evaluate for differences among SGM subgroups with multiple marginalized identities.
| S-EPMC9153913 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveSexual minority (SM) youth experience a greater mental health burden compared with their heterosexual peers. This study aimed to characterize mental health disparities among SM compared with non-SM youth, test main and interactive associations of SM identity and stressors targeting SM youth at the individual level (interpersonal SM discrimination) and structural level (state-level structural SM stigma) with youth mental health, and explore the contribution of interpersonal SM discrimination to the mental health burden of SM youth.MethodParticipants included 11,622 youth (ages 9-13; 47.6% assigned female at birth) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Linear mixed-effects models tested main and interactive associations of SM identity, interpersonal SM discrimination, and structural SM stigma with mental health measures (self-reported overall psychopathology, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts), adjusting for demographics and other interpersonal stressors not specific to SM (other discrimination types, peer victimization, and cyberbullying). Longitudinal mediation models tested whether interpersonal SM discrimination mediated the associations between SM identity and mental health measures.ResultsSM youth (n = 1,051) experienced more interpersonal SM discrimination and overall psychopathology compared with their non-SM peers (n = 10,571). Adjusting for demographics, there were significant associations (main effects) of interpersonal SM discrimination and structural SM stigma with overall psychopathology. When further adjusting for other non-SM-related stressors, the main effect of structural SM stigma was no longer significant. Interpersonal SM discrimination was also significantly associated with suicidal ideation and attempt, accounting for demographics, while structural SM stigma was not. Accounting for both demographics and other non-SM stressors, there was a significant interaction between SM identity and structural SM stigma in association with psychopathology (p = .02), such that, compared with their peers, SM youth showed a greater association between structural SM stigma and psychopathology. Longitudinal mediation revealed that interpersonal SM discrimination was a significant mediator explaining approximately 10% to 15% of the variance of the pathways between SM identity and all mental health outcomes.ConclusionResults delineate contributions of interpersonal discrimination and structural stigma targeting SM youth to their heightened mental health burden in early adolescence. These findings underscore the need to address microlevel and macrolevel SM discrimination and structural stigma when caring for this population.Diversity & inclusion statementWe worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our reference list.
| S-EPMC10770287 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:Recent studies have suggested that sexual minorities are more likely to have poor sleep quality. This study aims to explore sleep quality among sexual minority adolescents and examines the association between sexual minority status and sleep quality. DESIGN:Cross-sectional survey. SETTING:A total of 506 high schools in seven Chinese provinces. PARTICIPANTS:A total of 150 822 students in grades 7-12 completed the questionnaires, and 123 459 students who reported being aware of their sexual orientation were included in analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, sexual attraction and school bullying victimisation. RESULTS:Of the 123 459 students who were analysed, 5.00% self-reported as sexual minorities. Only 26.67% of sexual minority students slept 8 or more hours/day, which is less than their heterosexual peers (35.70%; χ2=130.04, P<0.001). Of the total sample, 22.41% of the students reported poor sleep quality, and this prevalence was significantly higher in sexual minority students than in heterosexual students (32.56% vs 21.87%; χ2=281.70, P<0.001). After controlling for social demographics, lifestyle and depressive symptoms, sexual minority students had higher odds of poor sleep quality (adjusted OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.31 to 1.51) than their heterosexual peers. The indirect effect of school bullying victimisation (standardised β estimate=0.007, 95% CI 0.006 to 0.009) was significant, indicating that school bullying victimisation partially mediated the association between sexual minority status and sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS:Our study suggested that poor sleep quality was common in sexual minority adolescents, and more attention should be paid to sleep problems in this population. Conducting interventions to reduce school bullying behaviours is an important step to improving sleep quality in sexual minority adolescents. Further, studies are warranted that focus on the risk factors and mechanisms of and interventions for sleep problems in sexual minority adolescents.
| S-EPMC5770949 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMost research on military-related sexual assault is based on the United States military and has important limitations, such as low response rates. We sought to estimate the lifetime prevalence of sexual assault, assess its relation to military service and identify the circumstances, correlates and associations with mental disorders of military-related sexual assault among Canadian military personnel.MethodsWe used the 2013 Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey, a cross-sectional representative survey of Canadian Regular Force personnel (n = 6696). The sample was weighted to be representative of the entire Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force population in 2012 (n = 67 776), as per Statistics Canada requirements. We assessed lifetime trauma exposure and past-year mental disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. We defined lifetime military-related sexual assault as forced sexual activity or unwanted sexual touching that occurred on deployment or in another military workplace, or was perpetrated by Department of National Defence or Canadian Armed Forces personnel. We defined all other sexual assault as non-military-related sexual assault.ResultsSelf-reported sexual assault was more prevalent among women (non-military-related sexual assault 24.2%, military-related sexual assault 15.5%) than men (5.9% and 0.8%, respectively). About a quarter of women with military-related sexual assault reported experiencing at least 1 event on deployment. After covariates were controlled for, military-related sexual assault was independently associated with any lifetime and any past-year mental disorder (adjusted odds ratio 2.9 and 3.0, respectively) and lifetime and past-year posttraumatic stress disorder (adjusted odds ratio 4.3 and 4.1, respectively).InterpretationCanadian military women are at increased risk for sexual assault and military-related sexual assault relative to their male counterparts. Deployment may be a period of elevated risk for military-related sexual assault, and women who reported military-related sexual assault are more likely to have experienced mental disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder.
| S-EPMC5498324 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundChemsex prevalence is still not well known, and both the lack of homogeneity and cultural component of chemsex practices are usually overlooked.ObjectiveThis study aims to estimate the proportion of sexual minority men (SMM) engaging in chemsex sessions, while understanding the cultural dimension of chemsex, and to analyze distinct session typologies with potential risk differences and the sociodemographic factors associated with engaging in them.MethodsA total of 5711 SMM residing throughout Spain participated in an anonymous web-based survey that assessed chemsex session engagement and characteristics, drug use, and sociodemographic variables. We measured the association of sociodemographic factors with engaging in chemsex sessions by calculating adjusted prevalence ratios, using multivariate Poisson regression analysis. Chemsex typologies were analyzed using latent class analysis, and sociodemographic factors were associated with the different risk classes.ResultsOur results determined that 21.1% (1205/5711; 95% CI 20.0%-22.1%) of SMM engaged in chemsex sessions during their lifetime. Participating in sessions was significantly associated with being a migrant, not having a comfortable financial situation, openly living their sexuality, residing in bigger municipalities, older age, using steroids, and living with HIV (adjusted prevalence ratio: range 1.17-2.01; all P values <.05). Three typologies of sessions with different risks were identified with latent class analysis, with 23.2% of SMM engaging in sessions taking part in higher-risk ones, which was associated with younger age, using steroids, living in bigger municipalities, openly living their sexuality, and living with HIV, compared to SMM engaging in lower-risk sessions (odds ratio: range 2.75-4.99).ConclusionsChemsex is relatively common among SMM in Spain, but it is important to differentiate typologies of sessions with varying risks, and the proportion of SMM engaging in high-risk sessions is low. Chemsex is highly associated with sociodemographic factors. Chemsex should be prioritized in public health programs, which should consider the different forms of sessions with their varying risks and prevalence, while also considering the cultural dimension inherent to chemsex.
| S-EPMC11451521 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesSuicidality among sexual minority adolescents has generated worldwide concern in recent decades, and previous Western studies have demonstrated that sexual minority status is associated with adolescent suicidality. However, whether this association exists in Chinese adolescents remains largely unknown. This study aimed to estimate the associations between sexual minority status and suicidal behaviour among Chinese adolescents.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingA total of 506 high schools in 7 provinces of China.ParticipantsA total of 150 822 students in grades 7-12 who completed the questionnaires (response rate of 95.9%) were included.Main outcome measuresSuicidal ideation and suicide attempts were used to measure suicidal behaviour, and sexual attraction (opposite sex, same sex or both sex) was used as a measure for sexual minority status.ResultsOf the 150 822 adolescents analysed, 4.1% self-reported as sexual minorities and 17.3% were unsure. Compared with heterosexual and unsure adolescents, same-sex romantic attraction (SSA) and both-sex romantic attraction (BSA) adolescents reported a higher prevalence of past-year suicidal ideation (SSA: 21.6% for males and 30.4% for females; BSA: 34.7% for males and 42.3% for females) and suicide attempts (SSA: 6.9% for males and 8.9% for females; BSA: 12.2% for males and 10.9% for females). After adjustment for covariates, SSA and BSA adolescents were more likely to have past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than their heterosexual and unsure peers. BSA adolescents reported the highest risk of suicidal ideation (males: adjusted OR (AOR) 2.42, 95% CI 2.03 to 2.88; females: AOR 2.61, 95% CI 2.41 to 2.82) and suicide attempts (males: AOR 3.83, 95% CI 2.85 to 5.14; females: AOR 2.59, 95% CI 2.19 to 3.06).ConclusionsOur study suggested that Chinese sexual minority adolescents were at increased risk of suicidality, and those with BSA had an especially high risk in this population. These findings emphasised the urgent need to develop targeted interventions to effectively address suicide-related problems among Chinese sexual minority adolescents.
| S-EPMC6089305 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study explored differences among older adults in mental health by sexual minority status. Data came from the 2021 U.S. National Health Interview Survey. The study sample included older adults (or those aged ≥50 years, N = 15,559), and of those, two percent (n = 380) self-identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). Older LGB adults had significantly higher odds of reporting a diagnosis of depression and anxiety and experiencing serious psychological distress than older non-LGB adults. Additionally, older LGB adults reported higher odds of experiencing depression and anxiety more frequently than older non-LGB adults. Significant covariates included age, sex, housing, food security, and social support. Increased risk for mental illness may be long-term consequences of stigma and discrimination that this population has experienced over the life course. The combination of structural interventions and affirming mental healthcare that recognizes the cumulative negative experience among older LGB adults is necessary to achieve mental health equity.
| S-EPMC10809733 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sexual/gender minority (Sexual/gender minority people are also referred to as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) youth are more likely than cisgender heterosexual youth to exhibit depressive symptoms and be victimized. School climate research indicates that the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance (a Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender-Sexuality Alliance is also referred to as a GSA and is a youth group to support sexual/gender minority youth), a supportive school climate, and seeking help from teachers are associated with more positive mental health outcomes; however, they are not typically measured together. This study uses a survey that measures all four measures of school environment with a national sample of 240 sexual/gender minority high school students ages 14-18 (mean age 15.77) where 53% of participants had a Gay-Straight Alliance in their school. The sample is 53% cisgender, 100% sexual minority and 62% white. Adjusting for demographics and presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance, fewer depressive symptoms were associated with lower help-seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts. The presence of Gay-Straight Alliance was not statistically associated with past-month help-seeking intentions or behaviors. Additionally, a more supportive school climate was associated with lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance was not statistically associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that a supportive school climate and supportive school personnel may be important for supporting the mental health of sexual/gender minority students.
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