Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun:117:106817.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106817. Epub 2021 Jan 7.

Sexual orientation and gender identity disparities in co-occurring depressive symptoms and probable substance use disorders in a national cohort of young adults

Jennifer K Felner  1 , Sean J Haley  2 , Hee-Jin Jun  3 , Jennifer P Wisdom  4 , Laura Katuska  5 , Heather L Corliss  3
Affiliations

Sexual orientation and gender identity disparities in co-occurring depressive symptoms and probable substance use disorders in a national cohort of young adults

Jennifer K Felner et al. Addict Behav. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

This study examined sexual orientation and gender identity differences in co-occurring depressive symptoms and substance use disorders (SUDs) among young adults in the Growing Up Today Study national cohort (n = 12,347; ages 20-35; 93% non-Hispanic white). Self-administered questionnaires assessed recent co-occurring depressive symptoms and probable nicotine dependence, alcohol use disorder, and drug use disorder. Multinomial logistic regressions with generalized estimating equations quantified differences in prevalences of depressive symptoms only, SUDs only, and co-occurrence, among sexual minorities (mostly heterosexual; lesbian, gay, and bisexual [LGB]) compared to completely heterosexual participants, and gender minorities compared to cisgender participants. Analyses stratified by sex assigned at birth revealed sexual minorities evidenced greater odds of co-occurrence than their completely heterosexual counterparts (assigned female AORs: 3.11-9.80, ps < 0.0001; assigned male AORs: 2.90-4.87, ps < 0.001). Sexual orientation differences in co-occurrence were pronounced among LGB participants assigned female at birth who evidenced nearly 10 times the odds of co-occurring depressive symptoms with nicotine dependence and drug use disorders than did heterosexual participants assigned female at birth. Relationships between gender identity and co-occurrence were generally weaker, possibly due to low power. Gender minorities assigned male at birth, however, evidenced greater odds of co-occurring depressive symptoms and alcohol use disorders (AOR 2.75, p = 0.013) than their cisgender counterparts. This study adds to the limited research quantifying sexual orientation or gender identity differences in recent co-occurring depressive symptoms and SUDs among young adults and suggests sexual and gender minority young adults should be prioritized in prevention and treatment of co-occurring depression and SUDs.

Keywords: Co-occurring disorders; Depression; LGBTQ; Minority stress; Sexual and gender minorities; Substance use disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Degenhardt L, Charlson F, Ferrari A, et al. The global burden of disease attributable to alcohol and drug use in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(12):987–1012. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 10 Leading causes of death, United States, 2017. In: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) NVSS, ed2018.
    1. Murray CJL, Vos T, Lozano R, et al. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 2012;380(9859):2197–2223. - PubMed
    1. Costello EJ, Egger H, Angold A. 10-year research update review: The epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders: I. Methods and public health burden. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005;44(10):972–986. - PubMed
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results form the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality;2019.

Publication types