1. Ethno-racial variations in mental health symptoms among sexually-active gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Vancouver, Canada: a longitudinal analysis.
- Author
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Bao, Seraph L., Olarewaju, Gbolahan, Wang, Lu, Sang, Jordan, Zhu, Julia, Lachowsky, Nathan J., Lal, Allan, Ablona, Aidan, Ho, Darren, Baharuddin, Fahmy, Villa, Lorenz, Lambert, Sandy, Dulai, Joshun, and Moore, David M.
- Subjects
MINORITY stress ,MENTAL illness ,BISEXUALITY ,MINORITIES ,MENTAL health ,BISEXUAL people ,SEXUAL minorities - Abstract
Background: Minority stress from racism and heterosexism may uniquely interact to impact the mental health of racialized sexual minorities. We examined variations in anxiety and depressive symptoms by reported by ethno-racial identity among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) in Vancouver, Canada. Methods: We recruited gbMSM aged ≥ 16 years from February 2012 to February 2015 using respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Participants completed computer assisted self-interviews (CASI) at enrollment and every 6 months until February 2017. We examined factors associated with moderate/severe anxiety and depression scores (> 10) on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and differences in key explanatory variables including sociodemographic, psychosocial, and substance use factors. We used multivariable mixed effects models to assess whether moderate/severe scores were associated with ethno-racial identity across all visits. Results: After RDS-adjustment, of 774 participants, 79.9% of participants identified as gay. 68.6% identified as white, 9.2% as Asian, 9.8% as Indigenous, 7.3% as Latin American, and 5.1% as other ethno-racial identities. Participants contributed a median of 6 follow-up visits (Q1-Q3: 4–7). In the multivariable analysis, Asian participants had decreased odds of moderate/severe anxiety scores compared to white participants (aOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.18–0.86), and Latin American participants had decreased odds of moderate/severe depression scores compared to both white (aOR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.08–0.36) and Asian (aOR = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.02–0.20) participants. Conclusion: Asian and Latino gbMSM reported decreased mental health symptoms compared to white participants. Asian and Latino gbMSM in Vancouver appear to manage multiple minority stressors without adversely affecting their mental health. Key messages: - What is already known on this topic: ◦ Sexual minority groups, including gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM), experience higher rates of mental health disorders than their heterosexual counterparts. ◦ Evidence is mixed on how stigma from intersecting minority identities among gbMSM, such as racism experienced by non-white ethno-racial identities, further affects mental health outcomes. - What this study adds: ◦ Among a sample of urban-residing gbMSM in Vancouver, Canada, ethno-racial minority status was not associated with increased odds of reporting moderate/severe depression or anxiety symptoms. ◦ Asian gbMSM had reduced odds of reported anxiety symptoms and Latino men had reduced odds of depression symptoms compared with white men. - How this study might affect research, practice, or policy: ◦ More research is needed with ethno-racialized gbMSM to understand mental health risks and vulnerabilities and to qualify survival and resilience narratives surrounding mental health. ◦ Healthcare providers should recognize nuance in how racism and homophobia may uniquely interact to affect the mental health of individual gbMSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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