Image by Marc Bruxelle via ShutterStock - Study reveals that bisexual, gay and lesbian (LGB) adults are more prone to psychological distress
- It was also noted that LGB adults are likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors
- Unhealthy behaviors include heavy drinking, and excessive smoking
As a possible result of discrimination, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults are believed to likely experience psychological distress and engage in unhealthy behaviors.
This was revealed by a recent study that showed that 40.1 percent of bisexual men and 25.9 percent of gay men reported moderate or severe levels of psychological distress, compared to 16.9 percent of heterosexual men, an article published on Bangkok Post stated.
In 2013 and 2014, the National Health Interview Survey conducted for the first time interviews regarding sexual orientation wherein the results were later analyzed.
Findings of the study indicated that LGB adults experience significant health disparities particularly in areas concerning mental health and substance use which are likely attributed to the ‘minority stress that LGB adults experience as a result of their exposure to both interpersonal and structural discrimination.’
Around 10.9 percent of bisexual men, on the other hand, revealed they engaged in heavy drinking while some 5.7 percent heterosexual men and 5.1 percent gay men listing it as their activity.
Rates of heavy smoking ranks one of the highest among bisexual men at 9.3 percent, some 6.2 percent for gay men and six percent for heterosexual men.
Meanwhile, women stated that 46.4 percent of bisexuals and 28.4 percent of lesbians reported moderate and severe psychological distress, compared with those around 21.9 percent of heterosexual women.
Based on analysis, bisexual women the highest rates of heavy alcohol consumption, 11.7 percent, compared with 8.9 percent for lesbians and 4.8 percent for heterosexual women.
Heavy smoking was most prevalent among lesbian women at 5.2 percent, followed by bisexual women at 4.2 percent. The rate among heterosexual women was 3.4 percent.
Gilbert Gonzales of Vanderbilt University, also the lead author of the study, emphasized that the negative findings for bisexual adults may be linked to their “marginalization” by heterosexuals and “stigma” from gays and lesbians.
Likewise, the study compared responses from 525 lesbian, 624 gay and 515 bisexual adults with those of 67,150 heterosexual peers.
The average age of respondents was 47.
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