Abstract
BackgroundPrior research has shown a higher prevalence of substance use and mental disorders among sexual minorities, however, the influence of sexual orientation on treatment seeking has not been widely studied. We use a model of help-seeking for vulnerable populations to investigate factors related to treatment for alcohol or drug use disorders and mental health disorders, focusing on the contributions of gender, sexual orientation, and need.MethodsSurvey data were obtained from a population-based probability sample of California residents that oversampled for sexual minorities. Logistic regression was used to model the enabling, predisposing, and need-related factors associated with past-year mental health or substance abuse treatment utilization among adults aged 18–64 (N = 2,074).ResultsCompared with individuals without a diagnosed disorder, those with any disorder were more likely to receive treatment. After controlling for both presence of disorder and other factors, lesbians and bisexual women were most likely to receive treatment and heterosexual men were the least likely. Moreover, a considerable proportion of sexual orientation minorities without any diagnosable disorder, particularly lesbians and bisexual women, also reported receiving treatment.ConclusionThe study highlights the need to better understand the factors beyond meeting diagnostic criteria that underlie treatment utilization among sexual minorities. Future research should also aim to ascertain the effects of treatment provided to sexual minorities with and without diagnosable disorders, including the possibility that the provision of such treatment may reduce the likelihood of their progression to greater severity of distress, disorders, or impairments in functioning.
Highlights
Prior research has shown a higher prevalence of substance use and mental disorders among sexual minorities, the influence of sexual orientation on treatment seeking has not been widely studied
Sexual orientation, and disorder Overall, there is a main effect of sexual orientation on treatment received; 48.5% of lesbian/gay/bisexual individuals reported receiving treatment in the past year as compared to 22.5% of heterosexuals (χ2 [1] = 131.6, p < .0001)
The rate of treatment received varied by disorder status, with 18.4% of those with no disorder, 37.2% of those with an alcohol or drug (AOD) disorder only, 58.1% of those with a mental health (MH) disorder only, and 73.4% of those with both types of disorders reporting having received some form of treatment in the past year (χ2 [df = 3] = 331.5, p < .0001)
Summary
Prior research has shown a higher prevalence of substance use and mental disorders among sexual minorities, the influence of sexual orientation on treatment seeking has not been widely studied. We use a model of help-seeking for vulnerable populations to investigate factors related to treatment for alcohol or drug use disorders and mental health disorders, focusing on the contributions of gender, sexual orientation, and need. It is generally understood that the great majority of individuals with psychiatric disorders, including both mental and substance use disorders, do not receive treatment for them [1,2,3]. This paper examines the relationship of gender and sexual orientation with treatment received for substance use or mental disorders in a population-based survey
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