Today's Date: March 29, 2024
National University Receives 2024 Military Friendly® Gold Designation   •   Visit Visalia Recognizes Autism Awareness Month in April   •   Parkland Corporation Announces the Results of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders   •   Jamieson Wellness Publishes Inaugural Sustainability Impact Report   •   Anaergia Announces Escrow Closing of Second Tranche of the Strategic Investment   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   Suffolk Kicks off 2024 “Build With Us @ Suffolk” Program in Boston for Trade Partners, Opening Doors for Minority-,   •   Sypher Secures Strategic Partnership with FAIA to Fuel Growth   •   Anaergia Announces Delay in the Filing of Its Audited Financial Statements and Related Disclosures   •   VIRGIN HOTELS CHAMPIONS INCLUSIVE TRAVEL FOR NEURODIVERSE TRAVELERS   •   Midea Group releases its first-ever ESG brand story with an unexpected VIP visit highlighting its commitment to sustainability.   •   YMCA of the USA Partners With Old Spice To Increase High School Graduation Among Boys And Young Men Of Color Through Mentorship   •   Empire State Realty Trust Receives WELL Health-Safety Leadership Award; Becomes Among the First Commercial Office and Multifamil   •   Make-A-Wish and celebrity wish granters announce goal to recruit 1 million people to become "WishMakers"   •   Coachella Concerned That People Have Sex, Says AHF   •   Equalpride Partners with TransLash Media for Trans Day of Visibility, Amplifying Voices of Black Trans Femmes in the Arts   •   Fosun Management on 2023 Annual Results: Focusing on Core Industries with Established Advantages   •   Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. Expands OTC Portfolio for Children with the Introduction of bébé Bottoms™   •   Amerex Group Unveils Red Carter Swimwear's Revitalized Collection   •   Carnegie Learning Named 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Finalist for Best Educational Game and Best AI Implementation in Ed Tech
Bookmark and Share

Study Looks At Mental Health Of Gay Black Men

WASHINGTON - The harassment, discrimination and negative feelings about homosexuality that Black gay and bisexual men often experience can contribute significantly to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, a new study finds.

Black News, African American News, Minority News, Civil Rights News, Discrimination, Racism, Racial Equality, Bias, Equality, Afro American News“Racism, homo-negativity and the experience of violence and discrimination contribute significantly to mental disorder burden and morbidity in this community,” said Louis F. Graham, DrPH, lead study author and a Kellogg Health Scholars postdoctoral fellow in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Using online surveys, Graham and colleagues asked 54 Black gay or bisexual men about depression and anxiety symptoms and how often they experienced harassment and discrimination in the community and at work. The men also answered questions regarding their feelings about their own sexuality.

Thirty percent of men in the study reported depression and 33 percent reported anxiety, which is higher than rates for people in the general population. Discrimination and harassment were extremely common, with 95 percent of the study participants experiencing them at least once in the last year.

Eleven percent of participants said they experience discrimination and harassment weekly. Most of the men said that both race and sexuality played a part in their experiences of discrimination and harassment.

The researchers also found that men who reported higher levels of internalized homo-negativity — feelings of shame or disapproval of their same-sex sexual orientation — proved more likely to feel depressed or anxious.

“If we think about a whole pie that represents factors that may cause depression and anxiety among this population, findings suggest that discrimination and internalized homo-negativity make up over 50 percent of the pie,” Graham said. However, he also said that the factors they examined were not exhaustive and they did not follow the study group over time.

Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D., an associate professor at California State University, Los Angeles, and a licensed clinical psychologist, said that the study findings were not “bringing much new to the table,” due to the small number of study participants and the fact that the authors surveyed the group only at one period in time, rather than following them long-term. She had no affiliation with the study.

“Discrimination in any form is stressful and can be a risk factor for developing symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition, depression and anxiety can make perceptions of racism, classism and other forms of discrimination far worse,” Durvasula said.

Graham said that the findings indicate that Black gay and bisexual men experiencing anxiety or depression are not alone in their feelings.

“We sometimes think of mental disorders or mental health problems as being experienced on a very individual level, and that they’re caused by or related to personal shortcomings or specific situations or incidents. This study shows that mental disorders and mental health problems occur at a community level,” Graham said.

The study appears in the latest issue of the journal Depression Research and Treatment and is courtesy of Health Behaviour Newsservice.

 

 


STORY TAGS: Black News, African American News, Minority News, Civil Rights News, Discrimination, Racism, Racial Equality, Bias, Equality, Afro American News

Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News