Thursday’s child: The role of adverse childhood experiences in explaining mental health disparities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual US adults
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
Abstract
This study examined how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) may explain disparities in poor mental health between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual adults. Data are from three U.S. states’ 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys (n=20,060) that included sexual orientation, ACE inventory, and mental distress. LGB status was significantly associated with mental distress (OR=1.85 [1.14–3.02]). Once incorporating ACE scores into the multiple regression analysis, LGB status was no longer associated with mental distress (OR=1.28 [0.76–2.16]). The results corroborate previous research that LGB individuals report greater prevalence of childhood adversity than their heterosexual peers, which may explain LGB adulthood health disparities.
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), long term effects, LGBTQ, mental health, disparity
Citation
Blosnich, J. R., & Andersen, J. P. (2015). Thursday’s child: the role of adverse childhood experiences in explaining mental health disparities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual US adults. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 50(2), 335-338.