Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Bisexual People Compared to Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Individuals:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Over the past decade, evidence has accumulated to suggest that bisexual people experience higher rates of poor mental health outcomes compared to both heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals. However, no previous meta-analyses have been conducted to establish the magnitude of these disparities. To address this research gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that reported bisexual-specific data on standardized measures of depression or anxiety. Of the 1,074 full-text articles reviewed, 1,023 were ineligible, predominantly because they did not report separate data for bisexual people (n = 562 studies). Ultimately, 52 eligible studies could be pooled in the analysis. Results indicate that across both outcomes, there is a consistent pattern of lowest rates of depression and anxiety among heterosexual people, while bisexual people exhibit higher or equivalent rates in comparison to lesbian/gay people. On the basis of empirical and theoretical literature, we propose three interrelated contributors to these disparities: experiences of sexual orientation-based discrimination, bisexual invisibility/erasure, and lack of bisexual-affirmative support. Implications for interventions to improve the health and well-being of bisexual people are proposed.

Effects of romantic involvement on substance use among young sexual and gender minorities

“…These findings add to mounting evidence that the experiences of bisexuals differ markedly from those of other SGM. In addition to being at higher risk for mental health issues (Ross et al, 2017) and substance use (Marshal et al, 2008), bisexuals may not benefit from romantic relationships in the ways that gay, lesbian, and heterosexual young adults do. Together with other findings from this sample indicating that bisexuals report greater psychological distress when romantically involved than when single (Author citation), the current findings suggest that any benefits of dating may be outweighed by the anti-bisexual stigma bisexuals can face from straight and lesbian or gay partners (Bostwick and Hequembourg, 2014; Dyar et al, 2014).…”

Minority Stressors, Rumination, and Psychological Distress in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals

“…Compared to heterosexual individuals, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are at substantially greater risk of a range of common mental disorders (King et al, 2008;Plöderl & Tremblay, 2015;Ross et al, 2018;Semlyen, King, Varney, & Hagger-Johnson, 2016). For example, the risks of anxiety and depression in LGB individuals are over 1.5 times higher than they are for heterosexual individuals, both in a period of 12 months or across the lifetime (King et al, 2008).…”

Does Technology Have Race?

“…These barriers may include a lack of properly trained professionals who can answer questions that are relevant for LGBTQ people. Additionally, there are unique mental health disparities among LGBTQ people that sometimes gets homogenized in both the research and by healthcare professionals (Ross et al, 2018). Therefore, it is understandable that LGBTQ people would go online and might want to use a campaign like IGB for information and support.…”