Cochran Susan D, Mays Vickie M
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1772, USA.
J Abnorm Psychol. 2009 Aug;118(3):647-58. doi: 10.1037/a0016501.
In recent population-based surveys, minority sexual orientation has been identified as a potential risk indicator for psychiatric morbidity. However, methodological limitations in the studies to date have led to concerns that current estimates are biased due to inadequate measurement of sexual orientation and uncontrolled confounding from prevalent HIV infection. In the present study, the authors investigate associations between sexual orientation and mental health/substance use morbidity using information obtained from 2,272 individuals, including 652 sexual orientation minorities, age 18 to 72 years, interviewed in the California Quality of Life Survey. Results confirm that minority sexual orientation is a risk indicator for psychiatric morbidity. However, levels of increased risk vary within this subpopulation by both gender and patterns of sexual orientation expression. Among gay/bisexual men, much of this greater burden is related to concurrent HIV infection. Reducing excess mental health morbidity risk among sexual orientation minorities could result in possibly a 5% to 11% reduction in the burden of the disorders assessed here among the adult population. Sexual orientation represents an important, but relatively understudied, individual characteristic shaping risk for psychiatric morbidity.
在最近基于人群的调查中，少数性取向已被确定为精神疾病发病的一个潜在风险指标。然而，迄今为止研究中的方法学局限性引发了人们的担忧，即由于性取向测量不充分以及普遍存在的艾滋病毒感染导致的混杂因素未得到控制，目前的估计存在偏差。在本研究中，作者利用从2272名个体（包括652名18至72岁的性取向少数群体）那里获得的信息，调查性取向与心理健康/物质使用疾病之间的关联，这些个体参与了加利福尼亚生活质量调查。结果证实，少数性取向是精神疾病发病的一个风险指标。然而，在这个亚群体中，风险增加的程度因性别和性取向表达模式而异。在男同性恋者/双性恋男性中，这种更大的负担很大程度上与同时感染艾滋病毒有关。降低性取向少数群体中过高的心理健康发病风险可能会使成年人群体中此处评估的疾病负担减少5%至11%。性取向是一个塑造精神疾病发病风险的重要但相对研究不足的个体特征。
