Identifying biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying sexual orientation disparities in physical and mental health – exchange visit at Yale School of Public Health

Sexual minority individuals (i.e., those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or another non-heterosexual identity) have a markedly elevated risk of stress-related mental and physical health problems and other indicators of poor life-satisfaction compared to heterosexuals. This disparity is believed to be caused by this group’s disproportionate exposure to stigma-based social stress.

However, the knowledge about the causes of these disparities is sparse, and more research about the social determinants of sexual minority physical and mental health is highly warranted.This grant application concerns a 3-month research visit for Dr. Bränström to Dr. Pachankis´ research group at the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health.

The purpose of this visit has three focuses. 1) to analyze and report data from a large population-based longitudianl cohort study of young adults in Sweden, where Dr. Bränström (Karolinska Institutet) in close collaboration with Dr.

Pachankis (Yale University) will explore biopsychosocial mechanism underlying sexual orientation differences in mental health; 2) work on analyses and manuscripts that take advantage of the unprecedented national health data available in Sweden capable of uncovering biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying sexual orientation disparities in mental and physical health; and 3) to plan and initiate monitoring of the mental health situation among sexual and gender minority individuals across Europe and its psychosocial and environmental determinants.During the stay Dr.

Bränström will work closely with Dr. Pachankis (Yale) and Dr. Hatzenbuheler (Harvard University).

Pachankis team at Yale possess 20-years of expertise in developing, delivering, and testing the efficacy of LGB-affirmative interventions.

His team also possesses expertise in utilizing web-based and social media surveys to collect health information from sexual minority men and in analyzing the results of the resulting datasets.