The Williams Institute study found that about 21% of AAPI LGBT adults had an annual household income below $24,000. Past research shows that a lower socioeconomic status is often tied to an increase in mental health issues. Additionally, AAPI LGBT adults were more likely to participate in high-risk health behaviors, such as smoking and heavy drinking, than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts.ĪAPI LGBT adults were also more likely to experience economic insecurity, according to the report. When it came to mental health, researchers found that about 21% of AAPI LGBT adults had received a diagnosis of depression compared to only 7% of cisgender, heterosexual AAPI adults. The researchers analyzed a variety of data sets regarding different characteristics, including mental health and economic status, and how they compared to those of cisgender, heterosexual AAPI adults. In May 2021, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law released a report on AAPI adults who identify as LGBT in the United States. These challenges might include immigration status and language barriers.Ībout 82% of AAPI LGBTQIA+ individuals reported experiencing discrimination or harassment because of their sexual orientation the same proportion reported experiencing discrimination or harassment because of their ethnicity.Īdditionally, many AAPI migrant parents struggle with accepting that their child is LGBTQIA+ due to internalized stereotypes about members of this community.Īdult mental health and economic disparities AAPI LGBTQIA+ people face different challenges compared to other LGBTQIA+ populations. One such group is AAPI.Ī combined 3% of LGBT individuals in the U.S. Now researchers are finding that different marginalized groups within the LGBTQIA+ community face even larger mental health disparities due to cultural, economic, and social differences. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has not only seen an increase in discrimination towards Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals, in general, but also increased health disparities and risks among LGBTQIA+ individuals who inhabit multiple racial or ethnic identities. A study published in 2016 found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults were twice as likely to have mental health issues - such as anxiety and depression - as heterosexual adults.Īnd data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - collected between 20 - indicate that youth identifying as lesbian gay or bisexual were between three and four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to students identifying as heterosexual. Past research shows that LGBTQIA+ individuals face a number of mental health disparities. Yet more identify as queer, intersex, asexual, or fit elsewhere on the gender and sexuality spectrum (LGBTQIA+). There are estimated to be more than 11.3 million adults in the United States who identify as LGBT - lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
Always refer to a person’s sexual, romantic, or gender identity the same way the person describes it. However, it is important to note that these identities are personal, and people may define them differently.
Medical News Today uses definitions of sexual, romantic, and gender identities that come from LGBTQIA+ and ally sources.