摘要：Past studies have reported little about variability in mental disorders among lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals. We assessed the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in 388 lesbian, gay, and bisexual Black, Latino, and White individuals. Black lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals had lower prevalence of all disorders than did Latino and White individuals; younger cohorts had fewer mood disorders than did older cohorts; bisexual persons had more substance use disorders than did gay men and lesbians; and Latino respondents attempted suicide more often than did White respondents. General population studies that used random sampling methods to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders have shown that lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals had more anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders 1 – 7 and more suicide attempts 8 than did heterosexual individuals. However, general population studies include only a few lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents and therefore provide little information about variability within lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations. Different sampling methodologies are needed to represent variability among lesbian, gay, and bisexual subgroups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, age, and bisexual versus gay or lesbian identity. We assessed the prevalence of mental disorders and suicide attempts in diverse lesbian, gay, and bisexual groups. Social stress theories lead us to expect that compared with socially advantaged groups, disadvantaged groups are at a higher risk for mental disorders. 9 We thus hypothesized (1) that Black and Latino lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals have more mental disorders than do White lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals because they are exposed to more stress related to prejudice and discrimination associated with their race/ethnicity 10 , 11 ; (2) that bisexual persons have more mental disorders than do gay men or lesbians because they are exposed to more stress related to their experience of stigma in both gay and heterosexual communities 12 ; and (3) that younger individuals have fewer disorders than do older individuals because younger individuals came out in a less prejudicial social environment. 13 – 15
