A heavy burden: Associations between sexual minority status, mental health, and BMI in women

Background Sexual minority women (SMW) are at increased risk of elevated body mass index (BMI) compared to heterosexual women, increasing their vulnerability to chronic diseases. Nonmonosexual SMW appear to be at additional risk for elevated BMI, likely due to unique sexual minority stressors. Metho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical psychology 2022-11, Vol.78 (11), p.2180-2196
Main Authors: Goldblatt, Alison E. A., Bankoff, Sarah M., Katz‐Wise, Sabra L., Pantalone, David W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Binge eating
bisexual
BMI
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Heterosexuality - psychology
Humans
Mental Health
psychological distress
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Sexual Behavior
Sexual orientation
sexual orientation discordance
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Summary:Background Sexual minority women (SMW) are at increased risk of elevated body mass index (BMI) compared to heterosexual women, increasing their vulnerability to chronic diseases. Nonmonosexual SMW appear to be at additional risk for elevated BMI, likely due to unique sexual minority stressors. Methods A total of 437 SMW and heterosexual women completed a cross‐sectional, online survey including self‐report measures of sexual orientation dimensions, weight, psychological distress, and eating behaviors. We investigated relations among these variables to better understand disparities in self‐reported BMI based on sexual orientation and sexual orientation discordance (SOD). Results SMW self‐reported more psychological distress, more binge eating, and higher BMIs than their heterosexual peers, with nonmonosexual groups of SMW often reporting the highest values. SOD was positively associated with psychological distress. Conclusions SMW—particularly nonmonosexual SMW—are at increased risk for psychological distress, binge eating, and elevated BMI relative to heterosexual peers. Future research should further elucidate mechanisms for these disparities.
ISSN:0021-9762
1097-4679
1097-4679
DOI:10.1002/jclp.23423