Mental health and general psychological processes among asexual, bisexual, and gay/lesbian college students in the United States

ABSTRACT

Sexual minorities are at greater risk for mental health difficulties than their heterosexual peers, and bisexual and asexual individuals may be at particularly heightened risk. However, the majority of the literature has failed to examine nuanced differences within the sexual minority community. We examined depression, anxiety and happiness as indicators of mental health, and belonging and coping as general psychological processes in 2,424 female and male college students who identified as gay/lesbian, asexual, or bisexual. The findings revealed a significant main effect for sexual orientation such that bisexual individuals scored significantly higher on depression and lower on happiness than asexual and gay/lesbian individuals. Gay/lesbian and bisexual individuals scored significantly higher on anxiety and lower on coping than asexual individuals. Asexual individuals reported greater belonging than bisexual individuals, and gay/lesbian individuals scored in between those groups. The results also revealed a significant main effect for gender such that women had higher levels of depression and anxiety, and lower levels of happiness and coping than men. Finally, gender did not moderate the relationship between sexual orientation and the outcome variables. These findings highlight that the sexual minority community is not a monolithic group in terms of mental health or general psychological processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• LGBTQ
• sexual minority
• minority stress
• college

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Miriam Liss

Miriam Liss, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Mary Washington, as well as a Safe Zone trainer. She is a clinical psychologist who has conducted research on feminism, body image and objectification, parenting, division of labor, and work-family balance.

Laura C. Wilson

Laura C. Wilson, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Mary Washington, as well as the Director of Safe Zone. Her expertise focuses on post-trauma functioning. Her research interests include the sociocultural influences on and psychosocial outcomes among survivors of sexual violence, indicators of PTSD following mass trauma, and the compounding impact of minority stress on particular populations (e.g., LGBTQ+ community).