Do you want to avoid the hassle of traveling with your printed poster? IAPHS2026 is pleased to make poster printing available to you through our supplier PosterSessionOnline. Your poster will be professionally reviewed, printed and shipped directly to Portland and you will be able to pick it up from the Poster desk. Click here to learn more.
Primary Submission Category: Mental health/function
Intersectional Differences in Despair in a U.S. Probability Sample of Sexual Minority Adults
Authors: Evan Krueger,
Presenting Author: Isaac Wright*
Background: Despair is a multidimensional psychosocial state associated with worsening population health and premature mortality. However, little is known about how despair varies across intersecting social identities. This study examined differences in despair across intersections of race and ethnicity, age, and sex assigned at birth among sexual minority adults in the United States.
Methods: Data were from the Generations Study, a national probability sample of sexual minority adults (N = 880; data collected in 2016-2017). Despair was measured using an index of 12 indicators across three despair domains (emotional/cognitive, biosomatic, behavioral). Negative binomial regressions assessed differences in despair across intersectional groups defined by race/ethnicity (White, Black/African American, Latinx), age (younger: 19-26, middle: 35-42, older: 53-60), and sex assigned at birth (female, male). Models were adjusted for education, employment status, and healthcare access.
Results: Overall, despair scores were higher among younger (vs. older) respondents, females (vs. males), and Black (vs. White and Latinx) respondents. However, key differences were noted across intersectional groups. Among younger respondents, White females had higher despair scores than White males and Latinx respondents. Among middle cohort respondents, Latinx females had higher despair scores than White males, Black males, and Latinx males. Among older respondents, Black females had the highest despair scores relative to several other groups (all p<0.05). In domain-specific analyses, younger respondents had higher levels of emotional/cognitive and behavioral despair, and middle and older age groups had higher levels of biosomatic despair.
Conclusion: Despair varies substantially across intersecting social identities among sexual minority adults. These findings highlight the importance of intersectional approaches for understanding population health disparities and informing prevention strategies.