ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Although lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) individuals experience many sexual and mental health problems, these problems are neglected by health professionals. We designed this study to determine the sexual and mental health problems of LGBT+ individuals by conducting a comparison with heterosexual individuals.

MATERIAL and METHODS

This cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative study design was conducted between August 2015 and October 2015; it involved 210 LGBT+ subjects and 226 heterosexual subjects. Data were collected using online surveys, including an information form (35 questions) and the Turkish adaptation of a standard General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12 questions). The GSQ-12 is a screening device for identifying minor psychiatric disorders in the general population. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and Spearman and Pearson’s correlation test were used for data analyses.

RESULTS

Compared to the control group subjects, more LGBT+ subjects indulged in sexual activities for money and/or drugs; in addition, the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), experiences of abuse, and sexual problems was higher in LGBT+ subjects. There was no difference between the groups in terms of mental health status.

CONCLUSION

While there was a difference in the sexual health parameters between the groups, there was no difference in their mental health status.