Patterns of Mental Health Care Utilization Among Sexual Orientation Minority Groups

Figures & data

Table 1. Utilization of mental health professionals in past 12 months by gender and sexual orientation.

NHIS Question	Sexual Orientation
During the past 12 months, have you seen or talked to…A mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or clinical social worker?—Yes	Straight	Gay/Lesbian	Bisexual	Something Else	Don’t Know	Overall
Men [95% CI]	5.88% [5.59–6.20]	19.84%* [16.06–24.25]	25.29%* [18.15–34.06]	14.26%* [8.84–22.19]	12.50%* [7.81–19.42]	6.27% [5.96–6.60]
Women [95% CI]	8.33% [7.95–8.73]	17.81%* [14.48–21.72]	26.24%* [21.80–31.23]	18.58%* [12.42–26.87]	13.67% [7.78–22.94]	8.70% [8.30–9.10]
Overall [95% CI]	7.15% [6.90–7.41]	18.91%* [16.21–21.95]	25.97%* [22.20–30.12]	16.52%* [12.13–22.09]	13.15%* [8.92–18.98]	7.53% [7.26–7.80]
N	95,903	1,674	776	259	479	99,091

Note. National Health Interview Surveys, 2013–2015, Sample Adult Data; 95% confidence intervals show in brackets; N = 99,091;

*Percentage is significantly different (p < .05) from Straight percentage within the same row.

Table 2. Logistic regression analysis predicting whether respondent has seen a mental health professional in previous 12 months.

Odds ratios shown >1 = increased odds, <1 = reduced odds of having seen mental health professional	Model 1 Sexual Orientation Only	Model 2 + Mental Health	Model 3 + Other Controls	Model 4 + Moderating Effects of Sex
Sexual Orientation
Straight (ref.)	–	–	–	–
Gay/Lesbian	3.02**	2.80**	2.33**	2.82**
Bisexual	4.55**	2.96**	2.16**	3.87**
Something Else	2.56**	1.23	.95	.78
Don’t Know	1.96**	1.47	1.56	1.79*
Mental Health Limitation	–	8.55**	9.22**	9.26**
Recent Mental Distress Scale	–	1.15**	1.16**	1.16**
Family Income	–	–	1.00	1.00
Education	–	–	1.25**	1.25**
Insured	–	–	2.15**	2.15**
Age	–	–	.98**	.98**
Female	–	–	1.26**	1.29**
Race
White (ref.)	–	–	–	–
Black/African American	–	–	.78**	.78**
American Indian/Alaskan Native	–	–	.93	.94
Asian	–	–	.38**	.38**
Multiple Races	–	–	.76*	.77*
Hispanic Ethnicity	–	–	.73**	.73**
U.S. Citizen	–	–	1.85**	1.85**
Marital Status
Married, spouse in household (ref.)	–	–	–	–
Married, spouse not in household	–	–	1.85**	1.84**
Widowed	–	–	1.05	1.04
Divorced	–	–	1.69**	1.69**
Separated	–	–	1.98**	1.98**
Never Married	–	–	1.43**	1.42**
Living with Partner	–	–	1.11	1.12
Region
Northeast (ref.)	–	–	–	–
Midwest	–	–	.87^†	.87^†
South	–	–	.73**	.73**
West	–	–	.93	.93
Sexual Orientation × Female
Straight × Female (ref.)	–	–	–	–
Gay/Lesbian × Female	–	–	–	.65^†
Bisexual × Female	–	–	–	.44**
Something Else × Female	–	–	–	1.40
Don’t Know × Female	–	–	–	.80

Note. 2014 National Health Interview Survey, Sample Adult Data; N = 99,091.

†p < .06 *p < .05. **p < .01.

Table 3. Summary of sexual minority effects by gender on the utilization of mental health professionals.

	Odds Ratios for Men Compared to Straight	Odds Ratios for Women Compared to Straight	Difference between Odds Ratios
Gay or Lesbian	2.82**	1.85**	†
Bisexual	3.87**	1.72**	**
Something Else	.78	1.10
Don’t Know	1.79*	1.44

†p < .06 *p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. 2014 National Health Interview Survey, Sample Adult Data; N = 99,091.

Table 4. Summary of gender effects by sexual orientation on the utilization of mental health professionals.

	Odds Ratio for Women Compared to Men
Straight	1.29**
Gay or Lesbian	.88
Bisexual	.66
Something Else	1.32
Don’t Know	.78

†p < .06 *p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. 2014 National Health Interview Survey, Sample Adult Data; N = 99,091.