An Intersectional Approach to Patterns of Mental Health by Sexual Orientation, Race/Ethnicity, and Rurality

• In Event: 50610 - Unpacking Intersectionality: The Tangle of Disadvantage

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals report poorer mental health compared to their heterosexual counterparts; health patterns vary by race/ethnicity, and individuals residing in rural areas exhibit a mental health disadvantage. Despite extensive research examining mental health patterns along sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, or rural/urban status, few studies have examined how these three characteristics intersect to pattern mental health. Using 2019-2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data (n=115,228), this study examines the prevalence of three measure of mental health: psychological distress, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, along sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and rural/urban intersections. Our results indicate that straight individuals report better mental health relative to LGB adults, regardless of race/ethnicity and/or rurality. Further, while we observe racial/ethnic variation in mental health patterns among straight individuals, we observe little racial/ethnic variation in mental health patterns among LGB groups. Finally, these patterns vary by urban/rural status. Our findings provide a more nuanced understanding to mental health patterns along intersections of sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and rurality.

Authors

• Christie LeeAnn Caruana, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Gabe H. Miller, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Kun Wang, University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Verna M. Keith, University of Alabama at Birmingham