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The study asked 690 adult gay and bisexual men about precariousness (a measure of how much stress they felt in their lives), social support, fear of rejection by friends or family, sexual identity development (e.g., “coming out”), and mental health.
The results showed that, overall, men who felt more precarious in their lives were also more likely to experience psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression.
This was especially true for men who had not yet fully come to terms with their sexual identity.
Social support was found to be protective against psychological distress for bisexual men.
The researchers observed that self-acceptance, family acceptance, and the ability to be open about one’s sexual orientation with friends were all protective factors against psychological distress.
This was not true for gay men because, in many cases, they experienced even less support from family members compared to bisexual men.
“This research provides new insight into how gay and bisexual men experience psychological distress,” said lead author Dr. Samuel Brinton. ”
It is important to note that the findings vary depending on a man’s sexual identity development.
For example, social support was protective for bisexual men, but not for gay men.
This suggests that interventions should differentially target these groups.”
The Stress Concept
Life is not always easy, especially for gay people in countries where being homosexual is still taboo.
But the way one deals with stress varies from individual to individual. Personal background also matters.
LGBT adolescents are more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience bullying or other forms of violence at school. They are also more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex or illicit drug use.
The topic of stress among LGBT teenagers has been studied by some scientists, but not very much research has focused on adults.
To address this lack, researchers from the University of Montreal and the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal (IUSMM) decided to explore the topic in gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men.
“Sex minorities have been identified as a vulnerable population in North America but it is unclear how stress affects gay men,” said co-author Dr. Sébastien Gilbert of IUSMM.
“The objective of this study was to explore which dimensions of psychological distress are more likely to affect gay men and bisexual men, using the precariousness model as a framework.”
The Precariousness Model
The idea that life is full of stress may seem self-evident, but scientists have tried to quantify this phenomenon.
One of these is Dr. Mitch Waterman who published ” The Precariousness of Sexual Orientation: A Conceptualization of the Stress Process Among Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals ” in 2009.
The concept is based on three major types of stressors:
- External circumstances (such as society’s negative attitude towards homosexuality),
- Internal circumstances (feeling unsure about one’s sexual orientation) and
- Reactions to these circumstances (the uncertainty felt by others).
The model shows that stressors can be placed on three dimensions: precariousness (how much stress they cause), severity (the extent of the impact) and chronicity (the length of time over which the stressor affects one).
The precariousness of sexual orientation is an important concept for research on gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men’s mental health. Our findings provide evidence that social support is protective against psychological distress for bisexual men, but not for gay men.
Co-author Dr. Sébastien Gilbert of IUSMM
Minority Stress in LGBT People
The model has been used to study stress in many different minority groups, such as women, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities. It has also been used to study stress in LGBT people.
“Minority stress refers to the unique psychological and physiological stressors that LGBT individuals experience because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity,” said Gilbert. “It is a major factor in the health disparities that exist between LGBT and heterosexual populations.”
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Stress and Identity
The precariousness model also helps explain how stress affects LGBT people. “It’s a vicious cycle,” said Gilbert.
“People may experience discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, which causes negative events to have a greater impact on them and therefore increases the perception of their precariousness.”
In turn, this heightened sense of precariousness can lead to increased levels of stress.
The study found that social support was protective against psychological distress for bisexual men, but not for gay men.
“Our findings provide evidence that social support is protective against psychological distress for bisexual men, but not for gay men,” said Gilbert.
“This may be because the majority of social support in gay men’s lives comes from other gay men, while bisexual men have more heterogeneous social networks.”
The study also found that internal and external stressors were more likely to affect gay men than bisexual men.
“Internal stressors are those that are self-generated, such as feeling anxious or depressed about one’s sexual orientation,” said Gilbert.
“External stressors are those that come from the environment, such as experiencing discrimination or violence because of one’s sexual orientation.”
The study found that internal and external stressors were more likely to affect gay men than bisexual men.
This may be because the majority of social support in gay men’s lives comes from other gay men, while bisexual men have more heterogeneous social networks.
“For gay men, internal stressors have a positive effect on psychological distress because they become more aware of their precariousness and therefore perceive it as a challenge that must be overcome,” said Gilbert. “External stressors, such as experiences with violence or discrimination, also have a largely negative impact.”
Conclusion
A precariousness model is a valuable tool for understanding the stress that LGBT people experience.
It helps explain how stress affects different groups of LGBT people and why social support is important for bisexual men but not for gay men.
The study also found that internal and external stressors were more likely to affect gay men than bisexual men.
This may be because the majority of social support in gay men’s lives comes from other gay men, while bisexual men have more heterogeneous social networks.
The study was published in the Journal of Homosexuality.
