Does it get better? Change in depressive symptoms from late-adolescence to early-adulthood, disordered eating behaviors, and sexual identity

Abstract

Sexual minority youth are often described as at-risk for mental health comorbidities, including disordered eating behavior (DEB) and depression. This study assesses differences in late-adolescent DEB and depressive symptoms among gay/lesbian, bisexual, or mostly heterosexual individuals, and how their symptoms change across early adulthood. While sexual minority youth were more likely to report DEB and elevated depressive symptoms in late adolescence relative to exclusively heterosexual peers, gay/lesbian individuals experienced improvement in early-adulthood depressive symptoms. Conversely, bisexual individuals maintained elevated depressive symptoms into early adulthood, and additional depressive symptoms associated with DEB. DEB may be a unique risk factor shaping the mental health of bisexual youth.

Keywords:

• Bisexual
• depression
• disordered eating behavior
• eating disorder
• sexual minority youth

Acknowledgments

This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Special acknowledgment is due to Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design of this study. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth).

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Direct funding from the National Science Foundation-Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (NSF-DDRIG 11-547) (Co-PIs: Utz and Tabler) and the Consortium for Family and Health Research Internal Pilot Grant (C-FAHR), University of Utah (Co-PIs: Utz and Tabler) supported this research.

Jason M. Nagata is a fellow in the Pediatric Scientist Development Program (K12HD00085033), with funding from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Pediatric Society. This research is funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, grant NSF-DDRIG 11-547 from the Division of Social and Economic Sciences, and the Consortium for Family and Health Research Pilot Grant from the University of Utah.