Previous studies have shown sexual minorities have a higher chance to face mental health problems than heterosexual individuals. However, less is known about these emerge disparities. Data analyzed from Miami-Dade County, Florida, has shown that youths with same-sex contact have higher levels of depressive symptoms and drug use than heterosexual youths (Ueno, 2010). A portion of the gap in depressive symptoms is explained by sexual minorities higher levels of stress exposure and their lower levels of family support and physiological resources (Ueno, 2010). These processes do not disclose the gap in drug usage. However, it has been partially explained through self-explanatory attitudes and permissiveness of drug use in society. This study indicated the importance of using many outcome strategies in research that analyses the mechanisms of mental health disparities across social groups.
Hypotheses
The differences in depressive symptoms and drug usage in individuals with same-sex contact are as significant as those linked to other social division. Therefore, sexual orientation has to be focused on mental health research. Besides, the different results between drug use and depressive symptoms have a vital indication of mental health in society.
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Dependent variable (name, level of measurement, unit of analysis)
Mental health
Drug use was estimated by the summed scores from a nine-item score.
Stress exposure
To measure victimization, inventory of traumatic events was altered to focus on interpersonal coercion and violence. The overall score was then computed from the 11-item inventory.
Psychosocial resources
Family support was the summed-up score from an eight-item scale that majored on family support (Ueno, 2010). To measure optimization, the life orientation test was used. To measure mastery, Pearlin and Schooler’s scale was used. Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg`s scale.
Self-explanatory attitudes
Fun-seeking orientation was measured with a fun-seeking subscale of Behavioural Activation System (Ueno, 2010).
Network norms
Parents’ permissiveness of drug use and friends’ permissiveness of drug use were the summed scores from five-item scales (Ueno, 2010).
Control variables
Age was measured. Ethnicity was a set of five dummy variables, including African American, non-Hispanic white, other Hispanic, Cuban, and other race (Ueno, 2010).
Theory
From the literature on drug use and sexuality, self-explanatory attitudes and network norms would indicate the reason behind mental differences between sexual minority and heterosexual people.
Analysis used/Method
Chi-square and t-tests were used to compare people with or without same-sex interaction. Multivariate analysis included OLS models which added blocks of predictors (Ueno, 2010). Changes in the coefficient for same-sex contact were observed across models to analyze if the predictors mediated between mental health outcomes and same-sex contact (Ueno, 2010). R-squared was also used to analyze the effectiveness of fit in each model, and the changes in R-squared were tested across models (Ueno, 2010).
Main Finding
The bivariate analysis gave a significant difference between people with and without same-sex interaction in mental health outcomes and potential mediators (Ueno, 2010). The results showed that individuals with same-sex contact reported significant levels of depressive symptoms and drug use (Ueno, 2010). The multivariate analysis presented the OLS models, which showed depressive symptoms. The model indicated that the levels of depressive symptoms were 5.56 points greater for individuals with same-sex contact (Ueno, 2010). In addition, the model showed that all the variables that were measuring social support, stress exposure, and physiological resources were related to depressive symptoms.
Limitations of the study
The research offers only limited information concerning the origin of the mental health disparities reflecting many limitations of the previous research.
Open-ended Discussion Questions
Did previously proposed mechanisms give details concerning the mental differences between sexual minority and heterosexual people?
Did the method of analysis in the research provide relevant and adequate data concerning mental health differences?
Did the study examine if the possibility that the disparities between people with or without same-sex contact arise through different sets of mechanisms for the mental health outcomes?
References
Ueno, K. (2010). Mental Health Differences between Young Adults with and without Same- Sex Contact: A Simultaneous Examination of Underlying Mechanisms. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51 (4), 391-407. doi:10.1177/0022146510386793
