TY - JOUR
T1 - A Comparison of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms between Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Medical Residents
T2 - A Report from the Medical Trainee CHANGE Study
AU - Wang, Katie
AU - Burke, Sara E.
AU - Przedworski, Julia M.
AU - Wittlin, Natalie M.
AU - Onyeador, Ivuoma N.
AU - Dovidio, John F.
AU - Dyrbye, Liselotte N.
AU - Herrin, Jeph
AU - Van Ryn, Michelle
N1 - Funding Information:
Support for this research was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the NIH under award number R01 HL085631. K.W. is supported by a Mentored Scientist Development Award (K01DA045738) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the NIH. L.N.D. receives support from the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-Being.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2020.
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - Purpose: The pervasiveness of sexual minority stressors in the U.S. medical training environment is well documented, yet little is known about the mental health impact of such stressors on sexual minority medical residents. We compared depression and anxiety symptoms between sexual minority and heterosexual third-year medical residents, adjusting for depression and anxiety before residency, and examined the role of perceived residency belonging during the second year of residency as a predictor of subsequent sexual identity-based differences in depression and anxiety. Methods: In 2010-2011, first-year medical students enrolled in the Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation Study and completed surveys in the last year of medical school (MS4; 2014), as well as second (R2; 2016) and third (R3; 2017) year of residency. The surveys contained measures of sexual identity, residency belonging, depression, and anxiety. Results: Of the 2890 residents who provided information about their sexual identity, 291 (10.07%) identified as sexual minority individuals. Sexual minority residents reported significantly higher levels of depression (p = 0.009) and anxiety (p = 0.021) than their heterosexual peers at R3, even after adjusting for depression and anxiety at MS4. Sexual minority residents also reported a lower sense of belonging at R2 than did heterosexual residents (p = 0.006), which was in turn associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety at R3 (ps < 0.001). Conclusion: Sexual minority residents experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety than their heterosexual counterparts, and these mental health disparities were associated with lower perceived belonging in residency. Residency programs should prioritize evidence-based, targeted interventions for sexual minority mental health.
AB - Purpose: The pervasiveness of sexual minority stressors in the U.S. medical training environment is well documented, yet little is known about the mental health impact of such stressors on sexual minority medical residents. We compared depression and anxiety symptoms between sexual minority and heterosexual third-year medical residents, adjusting for depression and anxiety before residency, and examined the role of perceived residency belonging during the second year of residency as a predictor of subsequent sexual identity-based differences in depression and anxiety. Methods: In 2010-2011, first-year medical students enrolled in the Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation Study and completed surveys in the last year of medical school (MS4; 2014), as well as second (R2; 2016) and third (R3; 2017) year of residency. The surveys contained measures of sexual identity, residency belonging, depression, and anxiety. Results: Of the 2890 residents who provided information about their sexual identity, 291 (10.07%) identified as sexual minority individuals. Sexual minority residents reported significantly higher levels of depression (p = 0.009) and anxiety (p = 0.021) than their heterosexual peers at R3, even after adjusting for depression and anxiety at MS4. Sexual minority residents also reported a lower sense of belonging at R2 than did heterosexual residents (p = 0.006), which was in turn associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety at R3 (ps < 0.001). Conclusion: Sexual minority residents experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety than their heterosexual counterparts, and these mental health disparities were associated with lower perceived belonging in residency. Residency programs should prioritize evidence-based, targeted interventions for sexual minority mental health.
KW - belonging
KW - medical residency
KW - mental health
KW - minority stress
KW - sexual identity
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U2 - 10.1089/lgbt.2020.0027
DO - 10.1089/lgbt.2020.0027
M3 - Article
C2 - 32598215
AN - SCOPUS:85090614291
SN - 2325-8292
VL - 7
SP - 332
EP - 339
JO - LGBT Health
JF - LGBT Health
IS - 6
ER -