Societal-level explanations for reductions in sexual orientation mental health disparities: Results from a ten-year, population-based study in Sweden.

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark L. Hatzenbuehler ◽  
Richard Bränström ◽  
John E. Pachankis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Mental Health Disparities ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Societal Level

Sexual minority adolescents and mental health

2018 ◽  
pp. 235-246
Author(s):  
Richard Montoro
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Minority Youth ◽  
Sexual Minority Youth ◽  
Mental Health Disparities ◽  
And Gender

Sexual minority youth is a broad term that includes adolescents from both sexual orientation and gender minorities. As a major task of adolescence is identity formation, sexual minority youth are particularly vulnerable during this period of self-definition (‘coming out’) both because of societal stigma and traditionally poor parental support. This chapter will start by defining the common terms used by the diverse identities in this population and outlining basic concepts in sexual orientation and gender identity. The literature demonstrating the central role of stigma in creating the mental health disparities of sexual minority youth will be reviewed. As stigma is present at individual, interpersonal, and structural levels, the chapter will conclude with a discussion of the multiple multi-level interventions necessary to have an impact on these disparities. Policymakers and clinicians are uniquely positioned to have a powerful impact on the mental health disparities of sexual minority youth.

scholarly journals Mental Health Disparities Mediating Increased Risky Sexual Behavior in Sexual Minorities: A Twin Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 2497-2510
Author(s):  
Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni ◽  
Patrick Jern ◽  
Frühling Vesta Rijsdijk
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Risky Sexual Behavior ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Mental Health Disparities ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Increased risky sexual behavior in sexual minorities relative to heterosexual individuals may be partly explained by mental health disparities, and both factors may be further jointly influenced by common genetic and environmental factors. However, these relationships have not been previously investigated. The objectives of the present study were to investigate mental health disparities as a mediator of the relationship between sexual orientation and risky sexual behavior, controlling for genetic and environmental effects in this relationship and testing for sex differences. Participants included 5814 twins from a Finnish twin cohort. Specified latent factors included sexual orientation, mental health indicators, and risky sexual behavior. Twin models were fitted to the factor structure of the data whereby a Cholesky decomposition on the factors was compared to a mediation submodel using OpenMx. Sex differences were tested in the final model. Phenotypically, mental health disparities partially mediated the relationship between sexual orientation and increased risky sexual behavior, with comparable effects in males and females. However, while this indirect route from sexual orientation to risky sexual behavior mainly contained transmitted genetic effects in males, there was a significant proportion of transmitted shared environmental effects in females. This is the first study to demonstrate that the mediation relationships between sexual orientation, mental health disparities, and risky sexual behavior are not confounded by genetic and environmental factors. The significant sex differences need to be recognized in future research and intervention design to improve sexual health in sexual minorities.

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