scholarly journals Evidence for the Confluence of Cigarette Smoking, Other Substance Use, and Psychosocial and Mental Health in a Sample of Urban Sexual Minority Young Adults: The P18 Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb LoSchiavo ◽  
Nicholas Acuna ◽  
Perry N Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
General Health ◽  
Current Smoking ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Severe Anxiety

Abstract Background Sexual minority men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) are more likely to smoke cigarettes than heterosexual and cisgender peers, which may exacerbate existing disparities in mental and psychosocial health and substance use. Purpose As few existing studies have examined the confluence of these factors, we sought to examine tobacco use in a diverse sample of SMM and TW and describe its relationship with other substance use and health. Methods Data were drawn from a study of syndemic conditions among SMM and TW, which included measures assessing tobacco use, substance use, and mental, psychosocial, and general health. Results A majority of the racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample (n = 665) reported ever smoking a cigarette, and more than half of them were current smokers. Current smoking was associated with more frequent recent substance use and poorer mental, psychosocial, and general health. In multivariable analyses, current smoking was predicted by more frequent substance use and more severe anxiety, when adjusting for demographic, substance use, and health factors. Conclusions A syndemic approach to health conditions such as substance use, mental health, and psychosocial burden dictates a framework of interrelation and mutual exacerbation. In doing so, we found that current cigarette use was associated with more frequent alcohol and marijuana use and more severe anxiety, suggesting a confluence of cigarette smoking, other substance use, and mental health burden. We recommend a holistic approach to treating tobacco use in sexual and gender minority populations that addresses both substance use and the myriad psychosocial burdens that sexual and gender minority communities experience.

scholarly journals Mental Health Challenges and Needs among Sexual and Gender Minority People in Western Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1311
Author(s):  
Gary W. Harper ◽  
Jessica Crawford ◽  
Katherine Lewis ◽  
Caroline Rucah Mwochi ◽  
Gabriel Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
And Gender

Background: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people in Kenya face pervasive socio-cultural and structural discrimination. Persistent stress stemming from anti-SGM stigma and prejudice may place SGM individuals at increased risk for negative mental health outcomes. This study explored experiences with violence (intimate partner violence and SGM-based violence), mental health outcomes (psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and depressive symptoms), alcohol and other substance use, and prioritization of community needs among SGM adults in Western Kenya. Methods: This study was conducted by members of a collaborative research partnership between a U.S. academic institution and a Kenyan LGBTQ civil society organization (CSO). A convenience sample of 527 SGM adults (92.7% ages 18–34) was recruited from community venues to complete a cross-sectional survey either on paper or through an online secure platform. Results: For comparative analytic purposes, three sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) groups were created: (1) cisgender sexual minority women (SMW; 24.9%), (2) cisgender sexual minority men (SMM; 63.8%), and (3) gender minority individuals (GMI; 11.4%). Overall, 11.7% of participants reported clinically significant levels of psychological distress, 53.2% reported clinically significant levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and 26.1% reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. No statistically significant differences in clinical levels of these mental health concerns were detected across SOGI groups. Overall, 76.2% of participants reported ever using alcohol, 45.6% home brew, 43.5% tobacco, 39.1% marijuana, and 27.7% miraa or khat. Statistically significant SOGI group differences on potentially problematic substance use revealed that GMI participants were less likely to use alcohol and tobacco daily; and SMM participants were more likely to use marijuana daily. Lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) was reported by 42.5% of participants, and lifetime SGM-based violence (SGMV) was reported by 43.4%. GMI participants were more likely than other SOGI groups to have experienced both IPV and SGMV. Participants who experienced SGMV had significantly higher rates of clinically significant depressive and PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Despite current resilience demonstrated by SGM adults in Kenya, there is an urgent need to develop and deliver culturally appropriate mental health services for this population. Given the pervasiveness of anti-SGM violence, services should be provided using trauma-informed principles, and be sensitive to the lived experiences of SGM adults in Kenya. Community and policy levels interventions are needed to decrease SGM-based stigma and violence, increase SGM visibility and acceptance, and create safe and affirming venues for mental health care. Political prioritization of SGM mental health is needed for sustainable change.

Interpersonal Victimization, Substance Use, and Mental Health Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth: The Role of Self-concept Factors

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110358
Author(s):  
Jillian R. Scheer ◽  
Katie M. Edwards ◽  
Alan Z. Sheinfil ◽  
Michelle R. Dalton ◽  
Madison K. Firkey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Interpersonal Victimization ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship

Reducing substance use and negative mental health outcomes of interpersonal victimization among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) represents a critical public health priority. Victimized individuals often develop cognitive schemas, or organized knowledge structures consisting of traits, values, and memories about the self, such as self-concept factors, in response to interpersonal victimization. Prior studies demonstrate the role of self-concept factors (e.g., mastery, control, and self-esteem) in explaining the relationship between victimization and substance use and mental health. However, mastery, control, and self-esteem have not been explored as mediators of interpersonal victimization and health among SGMY. This study is among the first to apply cognitive schema models of trauma-related health symptoms using a large sample of SGMY to examine (a) whether interpersonal victimization is associated with substance use (i.e., alcohol use, cannabis use, and cigarette use) and mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, self-perceived stress, self-rated health issues) and (b) whether diminished sense of mastery and control and lower self-esteem can partially explain elevated rates of substance use and mental health problems in this population. We used the U.S.-based 2017 LGBTQ National Teen Survey ( n = 17,112; Mage = 15.57, SD = 1.27); 6,401 (37.4%) identified as gay or lesbian, 7,396 (43.2%) as cisgender women, and 10,245 (59.9%) as White. Substance use and mental health variables were positively associated with interpersonal victimization variables and negatively associated with self-concept factors. Self-concept factors partially mediated the relationship between interpersonal victimization and mental health. This model explained 74.2% of the variance in mental health and 28.4% of the variance in substance use. Cognitive coping may represent an important modifiable factor that can be targeted by trauma-focused interventions in efforts to improve victimized SGMY’s mental health. Findings call for the development of identity-affirmative, evidence-based, and trauma-focused interventions for SGMY to improve this populations’ overall health.

scholarly journals Comparing substance use and mental health among sexual and gender minority and heterosexual cisgender youth experiencing homelessness

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248077
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hao ◽  
Matthew Beld ◽  
Ladan Khoddam-Khorasani ◽  
Annesa Flentje ◽  
Eva Kersey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
And Gender

Youth homelessness has been demonstrated to disproportionately affect sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth compared to heterosexual cisgender peers. In this context, we aimed to compare health risks between service-seeking SGM and heterosexual cisgender youth experiencing homelessness, including harmful risks stemming from substance use and severity of symptoms of mental health disorders. We recruited 100 racially diverse, unstably housed participants aged 18–24 who access services at an urban non-profit organization in San Francisco, CA. Data analysis included 56 SGM participants who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, unsure, transgender, and nongender, and 44 heterosexual cisgender participants. In contrast to previous studies reporting significantly higher frequency of substance use and more severe symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder among SGM youth compared to heterosexual cisgender peers, many of these health disparities were not observed in our diverse study population of service-seeking youth. Furthermore, with the exception of methamphetamine, SGM participants did not exhibit greater harmful risks resulting from substance use, such as health, social, financial, and legal complications. We discuss the reduced burden of health disparities between SGM and heterosexual cisgender youth in our service-seeking study population within the context of gender- and sexuality-affirming programming offered at the partnering community organization. We conclude that longitudinal data on these tailored community-level interventions are needed to further explore the reduced burden of health disparities observed among service-seeking SGM youth experiencing homelessness in San Francisco in order to continue supporting pathways out of homelessness for youth of all sexual and gender identities nationwide.

Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health among Children and Youth

2020 ◽  
pp. 228-243
Author(s):  
Jessica N. Fish ◽  
Laura Baams ◽  
Jenifer K. McGuire
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
The World ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
And Gender

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) young people are coming of age at a time of dynamic social and political changes with regard to LGBTQ rights and visibility around the world. And yet, contemporary cohorts of SGM youth continue to evidence the same degree of compromised mental health demonstrated by SGM youth of past decades. The authors review the current research on SGM youth mental health, with careful attention to the developmental and contextual characteristics that complicate, support, and thwart mental health for SGM young people. Given a large and rapidly growing body of science in this area, the authors strategically review research that reflects the prevalence of these issues in countries around the world but also concentrate on how mental health concerns among SGM children and youth are shaped by experiences with schools, families, and communities. Promising mental health treatment strategies for this population are reviewed. The chapter ends with a focus on understudied areas in the SGM youth mental health literature, which may offer promising solutions to combat SGM population health disparities and promote mental health among SGM young people during adolescence and as they age across the life course.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. xvi-8
Author(s):  
Esther D. Rothblum
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Social Work ◽  
Psychiatric Nursing ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Minority Mental Health ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Mental Health Programs

The Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health provides an overview of the current research on the mental health of sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. It is aimed at researchers conducting studies on the mental health of SGM populations, clinicians and researchers interested in psychiatric disorders that affect SGM populations, clinicians using evidence-based practice in the treatment of SGM patients/clients, students in mental health programs (clinical psychology, psychiatry, clinical social work, and psychiatric nursing), and policymakers. This chapter defines some terms and provides an overview of current and past SGM research methods.

scholarly journals Sex Difference in the Association between Electronic Cigarette Use and Subsequent Cigarette Smoking among U.S. Adolescents: Findings from the PATH Study Waves 1–4

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1695
Author(s):  
Zongshuan Duan ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Jidong Huang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Estimation Equations ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Prospective Association

E-cigarettes are the most-used tobacco products among U.S. adolescents. Emerging evidence suggests that adolescents using e-cigarettes are at elevated risk for initiating cigarette smoking. However, whether this risk may differ by sex remains unknown. This study analyzed data from Wave 1 to 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey. Generalized estimation equations (GEE) were performed to estimate the associations between baseline e-cigarette use and subsequent cigarette smoking, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, mental health conditions, and other tobacco use. Effect modifications by sex were examined. Multivariate analyses showed that, among baseline never cigarette smokers, past-30-day e-cigarette use at baseline waves was significantly associated with past-30-day cigarette smoking at follow-up waves (aOR = 3.90, 95% CI: 2.51–6.08). This association was significantly stronger for boys (aOR = 6.17, 95% CI: 2.43–15.68) than for girls (aOR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.14–8.33). Additionally, using other tobacco products, older age, and having severe externalizing mental health problems at baseline were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of cigarette smoking at follow-up. The prospective association between e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking differs by sex among U.S. adolescents. Sex-specific tobacco control interventions may be warranted to curb the youth tobacco use epidemic.

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