Mental health disparities seen among sexual, gender minority populations
by Lori Solomon
Feb 4, 2025
There are significant mental health disparities between sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and cisgender heterosexual populations (non-SGM), according to a study published online Jan. 29 in JAMA Network Open.
Junjie Anderson Lu, M.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues explored mental health disparities between SGM and non-SGM populations across sexual orientation, sex assigned at birth, and gender identity. The analysis included data from 413,457 participants in the All of Us Research Program.
The researchers found that men with cisgender sexual minority identity had higher odds of bipolar disorder (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.87) compared with cisgender heterosexual men, while women with cisgender sexual minority identity had higher odds of bipolar disorder (aOR, 2.09) versus cisgender heterosexual women. There were higher odds of posttraumatic stress disorder among gender-diverse people assigned female sex at birth versus both cisgender heterosexual men (aOR, 3.67) and cisgender heterosexual women (aOR, 2.77). Among gender-diverse individuals assigned male sex at birth, there were higher odds of bipolar disorder (aOR, 2.35) versus cisgender heterosexual men and higher odds of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (aOR, 2.19) versus cisgender heterosexual women. Higher odds of depression were seen among transgender men (aOR, 2.11) versus cisgender heterosexual men. Transgender women had higher odds of any personality disorder (aOR, 2.71) versus cisgender heterosexual women.
“These findings underscore the need for tailored mental health interventions to improve the well-being of SGM populations, while noting that the associations do not imply causality but reflect the stigma and minority stress experienced by these individuals,” the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to Hims and Hers Health, FOLX Health, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.
More information: Junjie Anderson Lu et al, Mental Health Disparities by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the All of Us Research Program, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.56264
Mandi L. Pratt-Chapman, Mental Health Disparities Among LGBTQ People in the US—Time to End the Stigma, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.56228
Journal information: JAMA Network Open