Sexual Orientation Minorities in College Counseling: Prevalence, Distress, and Symptom Profiles

Abstract

Sexual minority group members are at a higher risk for mental health difficulties than are heterosexual individuals. The results of this study showed that college student sexual minorities were common in counseling centers and that they were more likely than heterosexual students to seek counseling. The results also showed that sexual orientation groups differed in meaningful ways from one another, and many sexual orientation groups reported higher levels of psychological symptoms than did heterosexual students. S exual minority status has been linked to increased risk for mental health symptoms and psychological distress (e.g., Cochran & Mays, 1994, 2000a, 2000bCochran, Mays, & Sullivan, 2003;King et al., 2008;Mays & Cochran, 2001). One recent meta-analytic review found that nonheterosexuals (N = 11,971) experienced an increased lifetime risk of suicide attempts, depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. In a British sample, King et al. (2003) found that gay men and lesbian women were more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to express greater overall psychological distress and were also more likely to have recently consulted a mental health professional.Within recent decades, minority stress theory has been applied to the experience of sexual minority populations to help account for this increased risk (e.g., Meyer, 1995Meyer, , 2003Meyer, Dietrich, & Schwartz, 2008;Schwartz & Meyer, 2010). There is now a substantial and growing literature base suggesting that this increased mental health risk in sexual orientation minorities is attributable, among other factors, to an increased likelihood of actual and perceived minority discrimination as well as internalized negative attitudes toward sexual minority orientations (Meyer, 2003).However, less empirical work has examined possible heterogeneity of experience and distress between members of different sexual minority populations. Although differences between gay men and lesbian women have been found (e.g., lesbians in the King et al., 2003, study, but not gay men, reported higher incidence of verbal and physical abuse than did their heterosexual comparison group), research on other minority groups is still in its relative infancy. One example of heterogeneity between sexual minority groups is the somewhat inconsistent finding that homosexual men, but not homosexual women, are at increased risk for body image and eating disorder symptoms (see Nelson,

Comparing Psychosocial Adjustment Across the College Transition in a Matched Heterosexual and Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Sample

“…The transition to college is characterized by personal exploration, increased responsibilities, and changes in personal and social functioning (Sher et al, 1996;Towbes & Cohen, 1996). It is important to consider the effect of this transition on LGB students, in particular, due to their increased risk of mental health symptomatology across the life span (Cochran & Mays, 2000;King et al, 2008;McAleavey et al, 2011). This study demonstrates that for both LGB and heterosexual students there is a significant increase in psychological distress, coupled with a significant decrease in psychological well-being and cognitiveaffective strengths, over the first semester of university.…”

“…Second, although research has suggested that the transition to college may be difficult for youth in general (Towbes & Cohen, 1996), it has not directly considered how the college transition may affect LGB students as compared to their heterosexual peers. Third, much research on sexual minorities has focused on special LGB populations, such as those seeking counseling (McAleavey et al, 2011) or LGB adults of color (Meyer, 2010). Although this research is important, our study advances knowledge of LGB students by including a general college student population making an important developmental transition.…”

“…We compared a matched sample of heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) Research has demonstrated that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth and adults are at an increased risk for psychological distress and mental health symptomatology (for example, see Cochran & Mays, 2000;King et al, 2008;McAleavey, Castonguay, & Locke, 2011). Specifically, LGB individuals are at greater risk for depression and anxiety disorders (Biernbaum & Ruscio, 2004;Cochran, Mays, & Sullivan, 2003;King et al, 2008) and are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors including suicide attempts (Balsam, Beauchaine, Mickey, & Rothblum, 2005;King et al, 2008), self-injurious behaviors (Balsam et al, 2005), and alcohol abuse (King et al, 2008) than heterosexual individuals.…”

“…Researchers have theorized that sexual minority status may complicate the transition to college; specifically, LGB students who are struggling with their sexual identity may be less able to cope with the stressors of the college transition than their heterosexual counterparts (McAleavey et al, 2011). On the other hand, college might also provide many LGB students with their first opportunities to interact with other LGB students (Rhoads, 1997), which has been shown to reduce psychological distress (Ueno, 2005).…”

Commentary: Implications, Themes, and Next Steps

“…If family support of a sexual minority student is not possible, it may be important to help the student identify other sources of enduring social support, such as organizations for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) individuals or organizations that are GLBTQ friendly. McAleavey et al (2011) also found that lesbians had lower levels of eating concerns than did heterosexuals. This finding also was echoed by Nelson, Locke, and Castonguay (2011;this issue), whose findings are discussed in more detail later in this article.…”