Global LGBTQ Mental Health

Abstract

AbstractGlobally, research studies show a significantly elevated risk of poor mental health among LGBTQ individuals compared to cisgender and heterosexual individuals. Depression, anxiety, suicidality, and general distress demonstrate the largest mental health disparities by sexual orientation and gender identity. A growing body of evidence suggests the elevated risk of poor mental health among LGBTQ people is partly attributable to greater exposure to stigma-related stress. Minority stress theory, developed in the Global North, describes that LGBTQ people experience unique stressors (e.g., discrimination, violence, and identity concealment) that are linked to their sexual or gender identity. Although evidence suggests that these factors are important predictors of LGBTQ individuals’ mental health around the world, additional studies from the Global South have shown other strong predictors of LGBTQ mental health. These factors are related to societal integration barriers, such as low social trust, unemployment, and lack of stable housing. The extent to which these barriers override or interact with minority stress to predict mental health problems remains unknown. Still, the degree to which LGBTQ individuals around the world are exposed to stigma-related stress and experience barriers to societal integration is dependent on structural factors such as discriminatory laws and policies and societal attitudes. To better assess the mental health burden of LGBTQ individuals and its determinants, higher-quality studies are needed that use representative samples of the full spectrum of LGBTQ populations from different parts of the world. Future research also must develop efficient means for distributing LGBTQ-affirmative treatments to LGBTQ populations that most need them.