Recommendations for the assessment of sexual and gender minority status in serious mental illness research and clinical care.

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) groups experience exposure to minority stress, including discrimination, prejudice, microaggressions, and internalized stigma. Despite the sizable portion of the United States' population that identifies as SGM, relatively little research has been done to comprehensively understand the mental health consequences of SGM stress-particularly as they relate to serious mental illnesses (SMIs)-and SGM status is rarely reported in published studies. This article provides an overview of SGM research among people with SMIs as well as other relevant disorders. Findings show that sizable gaps remain in our knowledge of whether SGM groups experience higher rates or greater severity of SMIs, including schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders, though findings related to depressive and trauma-related disorders may be able to inform research and treatment for those with SMIs. To increase our understanding of potential mental health disparities for those with SMIs, researchers are encouraged to include measures to assess SGM identity, report upon this demographic information within their manuscripts, and examine differences in rates and severity of SMIs between these groups. Clinicians are encouraged to incorporate demographic questions into their standard intake batteries and initiate discussion of SGM status and minority stressors early on in treatment to promote more positive outcomes for this group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).