In a study
conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public
Health among gay, lesbian, and bisexual groups,
researchers were surprised to find that blacks and
Latinos report significantly fewer mental disorders
than whites. They had theorized that, due to the stress
of prejudice related to both racism and homophobia, the
opposite would be true. Ilan H. Meyer, associate
professor of clinical sociomedical sciences at the
school, said, "These findings suggest that black
lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals have effective ways to cope
with prejudice related to racism and homophobia."
However, the
study did show that more black and Latino gay men reported a
history of serious suicide attempts. Meyer explained this
apparent contradiction by pointing out that "because
these suicide attempts occurred at an early age...we
can speculate that they coincided with a coming-out
period and were related to the social disapprobation
afforded to lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities."
Meyer states that higher suicide risk in these
minority groups poses a particular challenge to
mental health professionals, noting that the lack of
other mood disorders in these patients indicates
that public-health professionals should address
specific suicide prevention efforts in these
communities.
The study,
conducted in New York City, included 388 white, black, and
Latino residents who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual
and is the first population-based study of its kind.
Other results
from the study included a finding that bisexual identity
was related to higher prevalence of substance abuse but not
anxiety or mood disorders. Also, across race/ethnic
groups, younger cohorts--those in
the 18-29 and 30-44 age
groups--suffered fewer mental and mood disorders
or suicide attempts than those ages 45-59. Meyer
points out that "this finding is consistent to the
liberalization of social attitudes toward
homosexuality over the past few decades."
The study was
funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. (The
Advocate)
