A recent cross-sectional study released in Journal of General Internal Medicine pointed out that sexual minorities are more than likely to suffer longer from mental health issues and experience bad relationships with their general practitioners than their heterosexual counterparts.
Three research teams-Harvard Medical School/Boston Children's Hospital, University of Cambridge, and the nonprofit organization RAND Corporation-carried out a study to determine the differences of health experiences and issues between heterosexual and sexual minorities (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders). England's Department of Health funded the study.
The team obtained their survey sample from the respondents of the English General Practice Patient Survey between 2009 and 2010. They then sent out more than 5 million questionnaires, of which over 2 million responded. From the 2 million, more than 25,000 identified themselves as sexual minorities.
After considering other variables like age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, the team analyzed the data, which revealed that those who belong to the LGBT community are at least 2 times more likely to develop mental health problems over long periods than the heterosexual males and females who had a rate of 5.2% and 6% respectively. Around 22% gay men, 25% lesbians, and 31% bisexual women indicated to have either fair or poor health.
The sexual minorities may also be more vulnerable to unfavorable experiences and relationships with their general practitioners. More than 5% gay men and 5.3% bisexual and lesbian women reported to have no confidence with their doctors. Meanwhile, over 13% gay and 12% bisexual men believed they have poor communication with their doctors.
The research team believed that they may have been able to generate more significant results if the survey response rate was higher. Moreover, the study doesn't mention any potential causes for the disparity. The information can be used to remind health care to pay more attention to the needs of the LGBT community, especially when it comes to mental and emotional health problems.
