Are Black Sexual Minority Adults More Likely to Report Higher Levels of Psychological Distress than White Sexual Minority Adults? Findings from the 2013–2017 National Health Interview Survey

Abstract

This study examined whether the association between sexual minority status and psychological distress is different between Black adults and White adults. The intersectionality framework suggests that Black sexual minority adults are more likely to report psychological distress than White sexual minority adults. Using data from the 2013–2017 National Health Interview Survey, multinomial logistic regression was conducted to examine the associations among race, sexual orientation identity, and psychological distress in a large representative U.S. sample that included a large number of Black sexual minority adults and White sexual minority adults. Results indicated that the association between sexual minority status and psychological distress was not significantly different between Black adults and White adults. Future research should examine resources that may buffer risk for psychological distress among Black sexual minority adults.

Keywords

• African American
• Black
• depression
• intersectionality
• minority stress
• sexual minority
• sexual orientation
• psychological distress