2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Online Program

328396
Gender-related differences in the association between discrimination and mental health and drug use disorders among sexual minorities: Findings from the Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC)


Monday, November 2, 2015

Ji Hyun Lee, MD, MPH, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI
Kristi Gamarel, PhD, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI
Nickolas Zaller, PhD, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Don Operario, PhD, Lifespan/Tufts/Brown Center for AIDS Research, Brown University, School of Public Health, Providence, RI
Background: Sexual minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual) populations have higher prevalence of mental health and drug use disorders compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Such disparities have been attributed in part to minority stressors, such as discrimination; however, few studies using representative samples have examined associations between discrimination and adverse health outcomes by gender.

Methods: Data were analyzed from the Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, who self-identified as lesbian, gay, and bisexual (n=577).  Six discrimination questions due to sexual orientation were summed and dichotomized into any discrimination (n=269) versus none (n=308). Weighted multivariate logistic regression examined associations between discrimination and both mental health and drug use disorders. Analyses were conducted separately for sexual minority males and females, and adjusted for sociodemographics.

Results: Sexual minority males who ever experienced discrimination (57.4%) reported higher odds of lifetime any drug use disorder (AOR=3.57, 95%CI=1.73-7.36) including cannabis use disorder (AOR=4.05, 95%CI=1.74-9.41) compared to sexual minority males who never experienced discrimination. Sexual minority females who ever experienced discrimination (42.9%) reported higher odds of lifetime any mood disorder (AOR=1.97, 95%CI=1.07-3.62), and lifetime any anxiety disorder (AOR=2.68, 95%CI=1.45-4.94) compared to sexual minority females who never experienced discrimination.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that discrimination differentially impacts mental health and drug use outcomes for sexual minority males and females, respectively. These findings provide further evidence of the need to determine which subgroups of sexual minority populations may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of discrimination to guide intervention efforts.

Learning Areas:

Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate association between discrimination and mental health and drug use disorders among sexual minority populations using nationally representative study. Identify whether there are differential association between experience of discrimination and mental health and drug use disorders by gender.

Keyword(s): Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), Drug Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been working in public health research for over 5 years. My research interests include health disparities among sexual minorities.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3309.0: Relevant LGBT Topics 3