A Cross-sectional Study on the Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies and Their Correlation in the Homosexual and Bisexual Community in North-East India

Abstract

Abstract Background: Homosexuality and bisexuality have long been prevalent in all parts of the world including India. Many efforts have been put to destigmatize and to make the lives of these people better, and it is no longer considered pathological in the diagnostic systems. Still, they experience higher stigma, discrimination, marginalization, violence, and trauma throughout their lives. Thus, research is needed to evaluate the level of stress and how they cope with it. Objectives: The objectives were to study the sociodemographic profiles of the participants and to explore the stress-coping skills among lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study with a sample size of 50, including 18-year and older homosexual and bisexual participants, with the employment of a snowball sampling technique. A semi-structured sociodemographic pro forma, Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Brief Coping with Problem Experienced scales were applied. Results: The mean age of participants was 23.620 ± 3.630. There were 36 (72%) gay, 8 (16%) lesbian, and 6 (12%) bisexual participants. On estimation of stress, 15 (30%) participants had low stress, 27 (54%) had moderate stress, and 8 (16%) participants had high levels of stress. Among coping strategies, the highest mean was for self-distraction (5.70 ± 1.51), followed by acceptance (5.32 ± 1.20). A significant positive correlation between the PSS scores was found with self-blame and avoidant coping strategies. Conclusion: People with homosexual and bisexual orientation are likely to experience higher levels of stress, so it becomes vital to have more research in this field.