Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Acceptance of sexual minorities, discrimination, social capital and health and well-being: a cross-European study among members of same-sex and opposite-sex couples

Authors: Arjan van der Star, Richard Bränström

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2015

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Awareness of health disparities based on sexual orientation has increased in the past decades, and many official public health agencies throughout Europe call for programs addressing the specific needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals. However, the acceptance of LGB individuals varies significantly in different countries, which potentially influences health and well-being in this population. We explored differences in self-rated health and subjective well-being between individuals living in same-sex and opposite-sex couples. We also examined the effects of discrimination and country-level variations in LGB acceptance on health and well-being and the potential mediating role of social capital in these associations.

Methods

Using the 2010 European Social Survey (n = 50,781), 315 individuals living with a same-sex partner were matched and compared with an equal number of individuals living in opposite-sex couples. We performed structural equation modeling analyses to estimate path coefficients, mediations and interactions.

Results

LGB acceptance was significantly related to better self-rated health and subjective well-being among all individuals, and these associations were partially mediated by individual social capital. No differences in these associations were found between individuals living in same-sex and opposite-sex couples. Sexuality-based discrimination had an additional significantly negative effect on self-related health and subjective well-being.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest a negative association between exposure to discrimination based on sexual orientation and both health and well-being of individuals living in same-sex couples. Members of same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples alike may benefit from living in societies with a high level of LGB acceptance to promote better health and well-being.
Literature
1.
Whitfield KE, Bogart LM, Revenson TA, France CR. Introduction to the second special section on health disparities. Ann Behav Med. 2013;45:1–2.CrossRefPubMed
2.
US Institute of Medicine. The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2011.
3.
Meyer I. Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychol Bull. 2003;129:674–97.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
4.
Lick DJ, Durso LE, Johnson KL. Minority stress and physical health among sexual minorities. Perspect Psychol. 2013;8:521–48.CrossRef
5.
Meyer I. Prejudice and Discrimination as Social Stressors. In: Meyer I, editor. The Health of Sexual Minorities. New York: Springer; 2007.CrossRef
6.
7.
Hatzenbuehler ML, Bellatorre A, Lee Y, Finch BK, Muennig P, Fiscella K. Structural stigma and all-cause mortality in sexual minority populations. Soc Sci Med. 2014;103:33–41.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Hatzenbuehler ML, Corbin WR, Fromme K. Discrimination and alcohol-related problems among college students: a prospective examination of mediating effects. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011;115:213–20.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Hatzenbuehler ML, Jun HJ, Corliss HL, Austin SB. Structural stigma and cigarette smoking in a prospective cohort study of sexual minority and heterosexual youth. Ann Behav Med. 2014;47:48–56.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
10.
Hatzenbuehler ML, Keyes KM, McLaughlin KA. The protective effects of social/contextual factors on psychiatric morbidity in LGB populations. Int J Epidemiol. 2011;40:1071–80.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
11.
Hatzenbuehler ML, McLaughlin KA, Keyes KM, Hasin DS. The impact of institutional discrimination on psychiatric disorders in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: a prospective study. Am J Public Health. 2010;100:452–9.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Pachankis JE, Hatzenbuehler ML, Starks TJ. The influence of structural stigma and rejection sensitivity on young sexual minority men’s daily tobacco and alcohol use. Soc Sci Med. 2014;103:67–75.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Bränström R, van der Star A. All inclusive Public Health – what about LGBT populations? Eur J Public Health. 2013;3:353–4.CrossRef
14.
15.
16.
International A. Freedom under threat Clampdown on Freedoms of ExpressIon. London: Assembly And AssociatIon In Russia; 2013.
17.
Subramanian SV, Kim DJ, Kawachi I. Social trust and self-rated health in US communities: a multilevel analysis. J Urban Health. 2002;4:s21–34.CrossRef
18.
Wakefield SE, Poland B. Family, friend or foe? Critical reflections on the relevance and role of social capital in health promotion and community development. Soc Sci Med. 2005;12:2819–32.CrossRef
19.
Rios R, Aiken LS, Zautra AJ. Neighborhood Contexts and the Mediating Role of Neighborhood Social Cohesion on Health and Psychological Distress Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Residents. Ann Behav Med. 2012;43:50–61.CrossRefPubMed
20.
McKenzie K, Whitley R, Weich S. Social Capital and mental health. Br J Psychiatry. 2002;181:280–3.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Kawachi I, Takao S, Subramanian SV. Global Perspectives on Social Capital and Health. New York: Springer; 2013.CrossRef
22.
Kawachi I, Berkman LF. Social cohesion, social capital, and health. In: Berkman LF, Kwachi I, editors. Social Epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press; 2000. p. 174–90.
23.
Kawachi I, Kennedy BP, Lochner K, Prothrow-Stith D. Social capital, income inequality, and mortality. Am J Public Health. 1997;9:1491–8.CrossRef
24.
Diaz RM, Ayala G, Bein E, Henne J, Marin BV. The impact of homophobia, poverty, and racism on the mental health of gay and bisexual Latino men: findings from 3 US cities. Am J Public Health. 2001;6:927–32.
25.
Herek GM, McLemore KA. Sexual Prejudice. Annu Rev Psychol. 2012;1:309.
26.
Corrigan P, Matthews A. Stigma and disclosure: Implications for coming out of the closet. J Ment Health. 2003;3:235–48.CrossRef
27.
28.
Thoemmes F. Propensity score matching in SPSS. ArXiv preprint arXiv. 2012;1201(6385).
29.
DeSalvo KB, Bloser N, Reynolds K, He J, Muntner P. Mortality Prediction with a Single General Self‐Rated Health Question. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;3:267–75.CrossRef
30.
Idler EL, Benyamini Y. Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies. J Health Soc Behav. 1997;1:21–37.CrossRef
31.
Islam MK, Merlo J, Kawachi I, Lindström M, Gerdtham UG. Social capital and health: Does egalitarianism matter? A literature review. Int J Equity Health. 2006;1:3.CrossRef
32.
Halman L, Luijkx R. Social capital in contemporary Europe: evidence from the European Social Survey. Port J Soc Sci. 2006;1:65–90.
33.
Reeskens T, Hooghe M. Cross-cultural measurement equivalence of generalized trust. Evidence from the European Social Survey (2002 and 2004). SOCI. 2008;3:515–32.
34.
Cramm JM, van Dijk H, Lötters F, van Exel J, Nieboer AP. Evaluating an integrated neighbourhood approach to improve well-being of frail elderly in a Dutch community: a study protocol. BMC Res Notes. 2011;1:532.CrossRef
35.
Guillen L, Coromina L, Saris WE. Measurement of social participation and its place in social capital theory. SOCI. 2011;2:331–50.
36.
Kraemer HC, Blasey CM. Centring in regression analyses: a strategy to prevent errors in statistical inference. Int J Methods Psychiatr. 2004;3:141–51.CrossRef
37.
Iacobucci D. Structural equations modeling: Fit indices, sample size, and advanced topics. J Consum Psychol. 2010;1:90.CrossRef
38.
Bagozzi RP, Yi Y. Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. J Acad Market Sci. 2012;1:8–34.CrossRef
39.
Lomas J. Social capital and health: implications for public health and epidemiology. Soc Sci Med. 1998;9:1181–8.CrossRef
40.
Grundy E, Sloggett A. Health inequalities in the older population: the role of personal capital, social resources and socio-economic circumstances. Soc Sci Med. 2003;5:935–47.CrossRef
41.
Lyons A, Hosking W. Health Disparities Among Common Subcultural Identities of Young Gay Men: Physical, Mental, and Sexual Health. Arch Sex Behav. 2014;8:1621–35.CrossRef
42.
Putnam RD. Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. J Democr. 1995;1:65–78.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Acceptance of sexual minorities, discrimination, social capital and health and well-being: a cross-European study among members of same-sex and opposite-sex couples
Authors
Arjan van der Star
Richard Bränström
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-2148-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2015

BMC Public Health 1/2015 Go to the issue

Research article

The association between medical students’ lifestyles and their attitudes towards preventive counseling in different countries

Research article

Bicycle-related hospitalizations at a Taiwanese level I Trauma Center

Research article

Factors associated with uptake of influenza vaccine in people aged 50 to 64 years in Hong Kong: a case–control study

Study protocol

A youth-led social marketing intervention to encourage healthy lifestyles, the EYTO (European Youth Tackling Obesity) project: a cluster randomised controlled0 trial in Catalonia, Spain

Research article

Relationship of BMI to the incidence of hypertension: a 4 years’ cohort study among children in Guangzhou, 2007–2011

Research article

Unintended pregnancy among female sex workers in Mekelle city, northern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study