West Virginia University, School of Public Health, Morgantown, WV, USA.
Infectious Diseases and Drug Monitoring Department, National Institute for Health Development, Hiiu 42, Tallinn 11619, Estonia.
J Affect Disord. 2015 Sep 1;183:205-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.05.014. Epub 2015 May 15.
Evidence supports that gay, lesbian, and transgender populations are at increased risk for mental health problems. The current study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms and related factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Estonia. This is the only known study of its type in the Eastern European region.
In 2013, an Internet-based survey was conducted among men who have sex with men, collecting data on socio-demographics, sexuality, drug and alcohol use, mental health, suicidality, and internalized homonegativity.
265 MSM completed the questionnaire (median age 31 years, 90% Estonian, 71% from the capital; 73% employed full-time, 42% with at least college education; 44% in a steady relationship; 72% gay, 23% bisexual; 23% reported illegal drug use in the last 12 months). One third met criteria for problem drinking and depressive symptoms with one quarter for anxiety symptoms. Suicidality was 44% reported lifetime suicidal thoughts and 11% with at least one suicide attempt.
The study instruments, EST-Q and CAGE, only measure symptoms and are not diagnostic tests. A non-random sample which could possibly include persons with easier internet access. Self-reported data and cross-sectional study design are prone to issues with recall bias and temporality.
With demonstrated high rates of anxiety, depression, drinking, and drug use among MSM which is consistent with similar studies in Western countries, further research could help determine effective MSM focused interventions to address the broad spectrum of issues among MSM.
有证据表明，男同性恋、女同性恋和跨性别者群体患心理健康问题的风险增加。本研究旨在估计爱沙尼亚男男性行为者（MSM）中焦虑和抑郁症状的流行率及相关因素。这是东欧地区此类研究中唯一已知的研究。
2013 年，对男男性行为者进行了一项基于互联网的调查，收集了社会人口统计学、性行为、药物和酒精使用、心理健康、自杀意念和内化同性恋厌恶等方面的数据。
265 名 MSM 完成了问卷（中位数年龄 31 岁，90%为爱沙尼亚人，71%来自首都；73%全职工作，42%至少受过大学教育；44%处于稳定关系中；72%是同性恋者，23%是双性恋者；23%报告在过去 12 个月中使用过非法药物）。三分之一的人符合酗酒和抑郁症状标准，四分之一的人符合焦虑症状标准。有 44%的人报告有过自杀念头，11%的人至少有过一次自杀企图。
研究工具 EST-Q 和 CAGE 仅测量症状，而不是诊断测试。非随机样本可能包括更容易上网的人。自我报告的数据和横断面研究设计容易受到回忆偏差和时间性的影响。
与西方国家的类似研究一致，MSM 中焦虑、抑郁、饮酒和药物使用的发生率较高，进一步的研究可以帮助确定针对 MSM 的有效干预措施，以解决 MSM 中广泛存在的问题。
