Barriers to Care and Psychological Distress Differences between Bisexual and Gay Men and Women

Abstract

The bisexual community may face unique barriers to health care that affect mental health outcomes; however, previous research has not specifically compared bisexual and gay men and women on these factors. This study explored differences between bisexual and gay men and women in barriers to care and psychological distress among a sample of 2,500 bisexual and gay men and women recruited online. Bisexual men and women were more likely to report barriers to care ranging from limited availability of providers to less comfort discussing their sexual orientation with their provider. Differences in specific mental health outcomes centered on sexual orientation, but not gender. Bisexual women reported the highest levels of depression, stress, and anxiety, and bisexual men reported higher levels of anxiety than gay men and gay women. Findings suggest that the sociocultural pressures affecting barriers to care and psychological distress may be disproportionately affecting bisexual individuals, even more so than previously documented sociocultural pressures related to gender.

KEYWORDS:

• bisexual
• gay
• health
• access
• depression
• anxiety

Additional information

Notes on contributors

K. Bryant Smalley

Dr. K. Bryant Smalley is the executive director of the Rural Health Research Institute at Georgia Southern University, where he is an associate professor within the Department of Psychology. His research interests focus on health disparity issues, in particular those affecting the rural and LGBT communities. He has published numerous articles on the intersection of gender and health behaviors, and has received $6.5 million of federal funding to support his research.

Jacob C. Warren

Dr. Jacob C. Warren is the Rufus C. Harris Endowed Chair and director of the Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities in the Mercer University School of Medicine, where he is an associate professor within the Department of Community Medicine. His research interests center on health disparities within rural and LGBT populations. He has published numerous articles on rural and LGBT health and has received over $6 million of federal research grants.

K. Nikki Barefoot

Dr. K. Nikki Barefoot is a postdoctoral research associate within the Rural Health Research Institute at Georgia Southern University, where her research focuses on health disparity issues within rural and LGBT populations.