Exploring mental health and help-seeking attitudes among sexual minoritized adults in Utah.

Abstract

Sexual minoritized individuals living in Utah face unique social challenges that may adversely affect their mental health and ability to seek help for mental health problems. Due to the large social presence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sexual minoritized individuals living in Utah may face religious-based stigma that negatively impacts their mental health and creates barriers to getting help from family, mental health professionals, physicians/healthcare providers, and clergy. Using a representative sample of Utah adults (N = 10,921) we explored the prevalence of bad mental health days and help-seeking attitudes, and tested how sexual minority identity, religious affiliation, and demographic controls affect these experiences. Results from linear and logistic regressions suggest that sexual minoritized individuals in Utah experience more bad mental health days, a greater likelihood of feeling they could not seek help for mental health problems because of fear of judgment/discrimination, and were less likely to seek support for an emotional problem or suicidal thoughts from family members, physicians/healthcare providers, and clergy. Conversely, being a member of the dominant religious group (i.e., Latter-day Saints), regardless of sexual orientation, was associated with fewer bad mental health days, a lower likelihood of feeling they could not seek help for mental health problems because of fear of judgment/discrimination, and a greater likelihood of seeking support for an emotional problem or suicidal thoughts from family members, physicians/healthcare providers, and clergy. Implications for how religious affiliation and sexual minority identity may create barriers to mental health and help-seeking are discussed.