Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
J Homosex. 2024 May 11;71(6):1487-1506. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2023.2174473. Epub 2023 Feb 6.
Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE) have been reported worldwide and have adverse psychiatric consequences. However, no data are available for India or Kerala. We assessed the prevalence of SOCE, its characteristics, and mental health aspects among LGBT+ individuals in Kerala. This cross-sectional survey used snowball sampling. An online questionnaire collected sociodemographic information and history and characteristics of SOCE. Religiosity and SOCE-associated distress were evaluated using 6-point Likert scales. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) screened for depressive symptoms; its ninth question assessed death wishes and self-harm thoughts. Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7) screened for anxiety symptoms. Participants' (n = 130) mean age was 26.80 ± 7.12 years. Most common biological sex (63.1%) and gender identity (50.8%) were male, and sexual orientation was gay(42.3%). Prevalence of SOCE was 45.4%. In SOCE group, 39% reported very severe distress. SOCE was most commonly self-prompted (47.5%), performed through psychotherapy (28.8%), and performed by doctors (28.8%). SOCE group had significantly higher religiosity scores (t = 2.61, p = .01). Among cisgender men, 48.48% had SOCE history, against 28.57% among cisgender women (χ = 3.19, p = .07). SOCE is highly prevalent among the LGBT+ community in Kerala, with high associated distress. Multi-level approaches are necessary to mitigate this problem.
性取向改变努力（SOCE）在全球范围内都有报道，并会带来不良的精神后果。然而，印度或喀拉拉邦尚无相关数据。我们评估了喀拉拉邦 LGBT+人群中 SOCE 的流行率、其特征以及心理健康方面的情况。这是一项横断面调查，使用了雪球抽样法。在线问卷收集了社会人口统计学信息以及 SOCE 的历史和特征。宗教信仰和与 SOCE 相关的困扰程度使用 6 分李克特量表进行评估。使用患者健康问卷（PHQ-9）筛查抑郁症状；其第 9 个问题评估自杀念头和自残想法。使用广泛性焦虑障碍评估量表（GAD-7）筛查焦虑症状。参与者（n=130）的平均年龄为 26.80±7.12 岁。最常见的生物学性别（63.1%）和性别认同（50.8%）为男性，性取向为男同性恋（42.3%）。SOCE 的流行率为 45.4%。在 SOCE 组中，39%的人报告了非常严重的困扰。SOCE 最常由自我启发（47.5%）、通过心理治疗（28.8%）和医生进行（28.8%）。SOCE 组的宗教信仰得分显著更高（t=2.61，p=0.01）。在顺性别男性中，48.48%有 SOCE 史，而顺性别女性中这一比例为 28.57%（χ²=3.19，p=0.07）。喀拉拉邦的 LGBT+群体中 SOCE 非常普遍，且与较高的相关困扰有关。需要采取多层次的方法来解决这个问题。
