Project description:PurposeSexual and gender minorities (SGMs) are underrepresented and information about SGMs is difficult to locate in national health surveillance data, and this limits identification and resolution of SGM health disparities. It is also not known how measures of sexual orientation and transgender-inclusive gender identity in health surveillance compare with best practice recommendations. This article reviews and summarizes the publicly available, English language, large-scale, rigorously sampled, national, international, and regional data sources that include sexual orientation or transgender-inclusive gender identity and compares measures with best practice guidelines.MethodsA systematic review was undertaken of national, international, state, and regional health surveillance data sources. Data sources that measured sexual orientation or transgender-inclusive gender identity and met seven inclusion criteria were included.ResultsForty-three publicly accessible national, international, and regional data sources included measures of sexual orientation and transgender-inclusive gender identity and health. For each data source, sampling design, sample characteristics, study years, survey questions, contact persons, and data access links are provided. Few data sources met best practice recommendations for SGM measurement: 14% measured all three dimensions of sexual orientation (identity, behavior, attraction) as recommended by the Sexual Minority Assessment Research Team. No data sources measured transgender-inclusive gender identity according to the Gender Identity in U.S. Surveillance-recommended two-step method of measuring sex assigned at birth and current gender identity.ConclusionsThis article provides a much needed detailed summary of extant health surveillance data sources that can be used to inform research about health risks and disparities among SGM populations. Future recommendations are for more rigorous measurement and oversampling to advance what is known about SGM health disparities and guide development of interventions to reduce disparities.
Project description:PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated several existing health disparities in the U.S. Sexual and gender minority (SGM) health disparities may also be widening during the pandemic, though few studies have assessed this question. This study examined SGM young adult disparities in health-related behaviors to cope with isolation during the pandemic.MethodsRespondents from a prospective cohort of Southern California young adults (N = 2,298) reported whether they engaged in various strategies (e.g., substance use, diet, exercise, relaxation) to cope with isolation during the pandemic (each: yes/no). Differences in coping were assessed across five SGM subgroups: heterosexual men and women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer (LGBQ) men and women, transgender/nonbinary (TNB) respondents. Negative binomial regressions estimated sexual/gender identity differences in the number of positive or negative behaviors endorsed, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and prepandemic health behaviors. Differences were also tested across individual coping behaviors.ResultsHeterosexual women (IRR = 1.11 [1.01-1.21]), LGBQ men (IRR = 1.31 [1.12-1.54]), LGBQ women (IRR = 1.33 [1.19-1.49]), and TNB respondents (IRR = 1.29 [1.03-1.61]) engaged in more negative coping behaviors than heterosexual men. LGBQ men (IRR = 1.19 [1.02-1.39]) and LGBQ women (IRR = 1.20 [1.08-1.34]) also reported more negative coping behaviors versus heterosexual women. Generally, LGBQ men reported the highest prevalence of substance use, while LGBQ women and TNB reported the highest prevalence of adverse eating behaviors and self-harm.ConclusionsSGM young adults may be disproportionately, adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tailored public health and clinical interventions are needed to decrease pandemic-related SGM health disparities.
Project description:ObjectiveSexual and gender minority (SGM) young people may use alcohol or cannabis (A/C) at higher rates that non-SGM peers, but little is known about whether SGM young adults experience poorer health, psychosocial, and other outcomes at similar levels of A/C use.MethodWe used longitudinal survey data from a community cohort recruited from California middle schools in 2008 (average age 11.5) and followed across 12 waves through 2020. Participants reported on past-month A/C use at each wave. Individuals also reported SGM status as well as outcomes in multiple domains in Wave 12. Sequelae of change models tested differences in intercept and slope for A/C use trajectories from Waves 1-12 across SGM groups, and simultaneously examined differences in outcomes by SGM status adjusting separately for A/C trajectories.ResultsSGM (n = 445) and non-SGM (n = 2,089) groups did not differ on baseline probability of A/C use. SGM individuals showed steeper increases in probability of cannabis but not alcohol use over time. Adjusting for trajectories of A/C use, SGM individuals had significant disparities relative to non-SGM peers with respect to: Employment and economic stability, criminal justice involvement, social functioning, subjective physical health, behavioral health, and perceived unmet mental health treatment need.ConclusionsAt the same levels of A/C use from middle school through young adulthood, SGM individuals show disparities in multiple domains compared to non-SGM peers. Targeted efforts to reduce substance use in conjunction with other structural disadvantages experienced by SGM youths are needed to address the emergence of disparities in young adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Project description:PurposeSexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents are more likely to become victims of bullying and harassment than heterosexual, cisgender adolescents, but little is known about the contextual details of these victimization experiences. This study aims to examine by whom and where adolescents are bullied or harassed, to whom adolescents report such victimization, and whether these experiences differ between SGM and heterosexual, cisgender adolescents.MethodsParticipants in this nationally representative study were 29,879 students (mean age = 14.1) from 136 Dutch middle/high schools across grades 7-12 (14.5% sexual minority, 2.7% gender minority) who completed a survey about their school-based experiences.ResultsPerpetrators of victimization of SGM students were more often teachers and school staff compared with heterosexual, cisgender adolescents. Furthermore, SGM students experienced victimization in private locations (in the rest- or changing rooms/parking lots, at home), more often than heterosexual, cisgender students. Finally, SGM students felt less safe than their heterosexual, cisgender peers to report these experiences to teachers or parents, and were more likely to report their experiences to the police or the school janitor. SGM students who reported victimization experiences were less likely to receive support: the problems were less often acted on and persisted more often than those of heterosexual, cisgender students.ConclusionsSGM adolescents are not only victimized more often, but also by different perpetrators (teachers, other school staff) and in more private places. Their victimization is also less likely to be recognized or acted on by those responsible for adolescent's safety: teachers or parents.
Project description:Sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations report numerous mental health disparities relative to heterosexual and cisgender populations, due in part to the effects of minority stress. This article evaluated self-compassion as a coping resource among SGM populations by (a) meta-analyzing the associations between self-compassion, minority stress, and mental health; and (b) synthesizing evidence for the mediating effects of self-compassion between minority stress and mental health. Systematic searches of databases identified 21 papers for the systematic review and 19 for the meta-analysis. Significant meta-analytic associations were found between self-compassion and minority stress (n = 4,296, r = -.29), psychological distress (n = 3,931, r = -.59), and well-being (n = 2,493, r = .50). The research synthesis identified supporting evidence for self-compassion as a coping resource for SGM people. The results of this review warrant further self-compassion research, particularly longitudinal research, for SGM populations.
Project description:IntroductionCompared with heterosexual, cisgender populations, sexual and gender minority (SGM) people are more likely to suffer from serious health conditions and insufficient access to health services. Primary care is at the frontlines of healthcare delivery; yet, few clinics have resources or mechanisms in place to meet SGM patient needs. This developmental study protocol focuses on reducing health disparities among SGM patients by identifying, adapting and developing SGM practice guidelines/recommendations and implementation strategies for primary care clinics in urban and rural New Mexico. Using input from patients, healthcare advocates and providers, and researchers, the study will pilot a practice parameter and implementation toolkit to promote SGM-specific cultural competence at multiple service delivery levels.Methods and analysisWe will recruit providers/staff from four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serving ethnically and geographically diverse communities. Incorporating the Implementation of Change Model and an intersectionality perspective, data collection includes a systematic review of SGM-specific practice guidelines/recommendations, focus groups and semistructured interviews, quantitative surveys and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) with providers/staff. We will categorise guidelines/recommendations identified through the review by shared elements, use iterative processes of open and focused coding to analyse qualitative data from focus groups, interviews and the NGT, and apply descriptive statistics to assess survey data. Findings will provide the foundation for the toolkit. Focus groups with SGM patients will yield supplemental information for toolkit refinement. To investigate changes in primary care contexts following the toolkit's pilot, we will undertake systematic walkthroughs and document review at the FQHCs, analysing these data qualitatively to examine SGM inclusiveness. The structured data-informed Plan-Do-Study-Act method will enable further revision of the toolkit. Finally, focus groups, interviews and quantitative surveys with providers/staff will highlight changes made in the FQHCs to address SGM patient needs, barriers to sustainment of changes, satisfaction, acceptability, usability and feasibility of the toolkit.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Institutional Review Board. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants before their involvement in research activities begins. Study results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media and the internet, and community/stakeholder engagement activities.
Project description:BackgroundSexual minority (gay, lesbian, and bisexual) individuals experience elevated mood disorders and suicidality compared to their heterosexual counterparts. However, to date, these sexual orientation disparities have yet to be examined among middle childhood-aged participants.MethodsData were employed from the baseline wave of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a U.S. representative sample. Population-level weighting was utilized, resulting in an analytic sample of N = 8,204,013 (nunweighted = 4519) children between the ages of 9 and 10 years: with 70,952 (nunweighted = 43) identifying as sexual minories (0.9% of the population). Structured clinical interviews were used to assess mood disorders (i.e., depressive and bipolar disorders) and suicidality. Sexual orientation (sexual minority vs. heterosexual) was examined as the focal independent variable.ResultsThe overall prevalence of mood disorders was 7.1%. Sexual minority children (22.5%) possessed a higher rate than heterosexual children (6.9%). The overall prevalence of suicidality was 4.8%; sexual minority children (19.1%) possessed a higher rate than heterosexual children (4.6%).LimitationsSexual orientation assessment did not include attraction, and thus, results may represent a lower bound estimate of sexual minorities.ConclusionsSexual orientation disparities in mood disorders and suicidality appear to develop as early as middle childhood. Clinicians are encouraged to assess sexual orientation among children as young as 9-10 years old, and provide appropriate normalization of sexual orientation, and referrals for mental health treatment, as indicated.
Project description:Sexual minority (SM) young adults, such as those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), have well documented smoking disparities compared to heterosexual young adults. However, no studies have simultaneously tested the role of three risk factors (depressive symptoms, recalling tobacco marketing in bars, and cigarette-related social norms) to explain SM tobacco use disparities. Longitudinal structural equation modeling was used to explore if the association between SM identity and past 30-day cigarette smoking one year later was mediated by these three risk factors. Starting in fall 2015, three surveys were administered every 6 months to 3,972 young adult college students. Surveys assessed SM identity, depressive symptoms, tobacco marketing in bars, normative perceptions of cigarettes, and tobacco use behaviors. Greater depressive symptoms, recalling more tobacco marketing in bars, and more accepting cigarette-related social norms were each hypothesized to explain a unique portion of the association between SM identity and subsequent cigarette use. SM young adults reported higher prevalence of cigarette use, depressive symptom scores reflecting elevated risk for major depressive disorder, and more accepting cigarette-related social norms than their heterosexual peers. Results indicated that only cigarette-related social norms mediated the association between SM identity and subsequent past 30-day smoking, while controlling for depressive symptoms, recalling tobacco marketing in bars, sociodemographic factors, and previous tobacco use. Findings reflect a need for tailored tobacco control messaging that shift the more accepting cigarette-related norms of SM young adults, as doing so may ultimately lead to decreased smoking for this high-risk subgroup. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Project description:Despite growing attention and guiding frameworks, we still know very little about how environmental exposures may be contributing to the health inequities experienced by sexual and gender minority (SGM) people, especially exposures beyond psycho-behavioral mechanisms that have traditionally been viewed as the pathways between minority stress and negative health outcomes. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted a scoping review to determine the extent to which disparities in environmental exposures between SGM and non-SGM (ie, heterosexual and cisgender) populations have been measured in the United States. We searched PubMed for studies that were (1) peer-reviewed; (2) written in English; (3) quantitatively measured environmental exposures; (4) included 1 or more groups identifying as a sexual minority, gender minority, or both; (5) compared to the general population; (6) in the United States; and (7) published on or after January 1, 2011. Our scoping review identified very few studies that examined and documented environmental exposure disparities between SGM and non-SGM populations in the United States. These studies focused mostly on cigarette smoke exposures. None examined environmental exposure disparities between gender minority and cisgender populations. To address this critical gap in environmental health research for SGM populations in the short term, researchers can merge existing environmental data (eg, data from the Environmental Protection Agency) with SGM population data. Longer-term solutions require systematically including validated sexual orientation and gender identity measures across federal, state, and local datasets, as well as increased funding for original research that explores diverse environmental exposures. Taken together, these efforts can significantly advance our ability to identify and address environmental health inequities experienced by SGM people.
Project description:Purpose: In this work, we investigate the association between social relationships and alcohol use and the related consequences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) college students, and we highlight the importance of SGM social networks as a potential protective factor among SGM college students. Methods: The study used data from 1340 students (47.2% White and non-Hispanic, 55.4% assigned female at birth, 16.3% SGM), which were collected during the 2016 fall semester of the first year of college at one university. The study collected information about alcohol use and related consequences and about the social networks of participants through a peer nomination survey. Results: Regardless of SGM status, students who nominated at least one SGM peer reported significantly lower drinks per week (β = -0.69, p = 0.04) and heavy drinking frequency (β = -0.38, p = 0.02) after adjusting for relevant covariates including peer drinking. SGM participants showed a significantly stronger negative association between having an SGM peer and heavy drinking frequency and alcohol-related consequences than their cisgender heterosexual counterparts (β = -0.90, p = 0.04; β = -1.32, p = 0.03). Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of SGM social networks as a potential protective factor for reducing alcohol use and related consequences among SGM college students. College campuses should identify ways to support connections among SGM students. Clinical trials registration number is NCT02895984.