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. 2015 Jan;56(1):52-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.07.018. Epub 2014 Oct 5.

Mental health disorders in young urban sexual minority men

Affiliations

Mental health disorders in young urban sexual minority men

Michelle Nicole Burns et al. J Adolesc Health. 2015 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Very few studies have examined mental disorders among male sexual minority youth. We describe demographic correlates, comorbidity, and history of mental disorders and suicidality in a large sample of male sexual minority youth.

Methods: Structured diagnostic interviews were conducted with 449 racially diverse urban sexual minority males, aged 16-20 years, who were recruited using a social network-driven sampling methodology.

Results: Lifetime major depressive episode (MDE) affected 33.2% of the youth. Lifetime conduct disorder (23.6%), alcohol abuse/dependence (19.6%), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 16.0%), and nicotine dependence (10.7%) were also common. Black participants were less likely than white participants to be diagnosed with lifetime MDE, alcohol abuse/dependence, nicotine dependence, suicidal ideation, and anorexia, as well as past 12-month alcohol abuse/dependence (odds ratios [ORs] range from .08 to .46). Relative to participants identifying as gay, bisexual identified youth were at higher risk for lifetime PTSD (OR = 2.04), and participants who did not identify as gay or bisexual were at higher risk for both lifetime and past 12-month nicotine dependence (OR = 4.36 and 3.46, respectively). Most participants with mental disorders never received treatment, and comorbidity was common.

Conclusions: MDE, conduct disorder, alcohol abuse/dependence, PTSD, and nicotine dependence are common and infrequently treated in young sexual minority men. Some within-group disparities emerged, suggesting that factors related to racial background and self-identification may help to understand resilience to the unique stressors experienced by these young men.

Keywords: Adolescents, male; Age of onset; Comorbidity; Frequency; Homosexuality, male; Mental disorders; Minority health; Young adult.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Venn diagram indicating the percentage of participants with each lifetime diagnosis or diagnostic combination of posttraumatic stress disorder, conduct disorder, major depressive episode, and substance use disorder (i.e., alcohol abuse/dependence or nicotine dependence), out of the 448 participants for whom all these diagnostic data was available

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