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Primary Submission Category: Mental health/function

Exploring Mental Health Outcomes by Sexual Orientation, Race/Ethnicity, and Rurality

Authors:  Christie Caruana, Gabe Miller,

Presenting Author: Christie Caruana*

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals report poorer mental health compared to their heterosexual counterparts; health patterns vary by race/ethnicity, and individuals residing in rural areas exhibit a mental health disadvantage. Despite extensive research examining mental health patterns along sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, or rural/urban status, few studies have examined how these three characteristics intersect to pattern mental health. Using 2019-2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data (n=115,228), this study examines the prevalence of three measure of mental health: psychological distress, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, along sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and rural/urban intersections.  Our results indicate that straight individuals report better mental health relative to LGB adults, regardless of race/ethnicity and/or rurality. Further, while we observe racial/ethnic variation in mental health patterns among straight individuals, we observe little racial/ethnic variation in mental health patterns among LGB groups. Finally, these patterns vary by urban/rural status. Our findings provide a more nuanced understanding to mental health patterns along intersections of sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and rurality.