Poverty, Nonspecific Psychological Distress, and Sexual Identity among New York City Adults Public
Munley, Jennifer (2012)
Published
Abstract
Abstract
"Poverty, Nonspecific Psychological Distress, and Sexual Identity
among New York City
Adults"
Objective: To determine if the association between poverty
and nonspecific
psychological distress varies by sexual identity.
Methods: Survey years 2005, 2006, and 2008 were combined
from the New York City
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Community Health Survey
(CHS). In total
27,153 participants responses were analyzed to determine their
poverty status, sexual
identity, and experiences of psychological distress. Poverty status
was dichotomized into
those living above and below 200% of the federal poverty line.
Sexual identity was
dichotomized into those who reported being lesbian, gay, or
bisexual (LGB) and those
who reported being heterosexual. Using the Kessler-6 (K6)
psychological distress
questionnaire, respondents were dichotomized into those who had
experienced
nonspecific psychological distress in a 30 day period and those who
had not experienced
psychological distress in a 30 day period. A multivariate logistic
regression was
performed to determine the association between poverty and sexual
identity on the
outcome variable, nonspecific psychological distress. An
interaction term that combined
poverty and sexual identity was also included in the model.
Results: Almost 9% of those who identified as lesbian, gay,
or bisexual experienced
nonspecific psychological distress in a 30 day period compared to
only 6% of individuals
who identified as heterosexual. Approximately 11% of those living
in poverty
experienced nonspecific psychological distress in a 30 day period
compared to only 4%
of individuals not living in poverty. Racial/Ethnic sexual
minorities living in poverty
were more likely than non-Hispanic White sexual minorities living
in poverty to
experience nonspecific psychological distress. In particular, those
who identified as
Hispanic [AOR 5.19, 95% CI 4.13-6.51] and Other [AOR 5.04, 95% CI
3.57-7.13] had
the highest likelihood of experiencing nonspecific psychological
distress.
Conclusion: There are few studies that examine the
association between poverty, sexual
identity, and nonspecific psychological distress. The results of
this study illustrate that an
association between these variables does exist when race/ethnicity
is considered. Further
research needs to address racial disparities in mental health among
lesbian, gay, and
bisexual individuals, particularly those living in
poverty.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction
............................................................................................................
1
Chapter 2 Literature Review
....................................................................................................
3
Nonspecific Psychological Distress (NPD)
..................................................................................
3
Nonspecific Psychological Distress and Race/Ethnicity
.......................................................... 4
Nonspecific Psychological Distress and Age
...........................................................................
5
Nonspecific Psychological Distress and Other Health
Outcomes............................................ 6
Poverty
......................................................................................................................................
7
Poverty in New York
City........................................................................................................
9
Poverty and Nonspecific Psychological Distress
...................................................................
10
Sexual Minorities
.....................................................................................................................
10
Minority Stress Model in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual
Populations........................................ 11
Sexual Minorities and Nonspecific Psychological Distress
.................................................... 12
Poverty in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations
..............................................................
12
Summary
.................................................................................................................................
13
Chapter 3 Methods
................................................................................................................
14
Study Design
............................................................................................................................
14
Measures.................................................................................................................................
15
Primary Dependent
Variable................................................................................................
15
Key Independent Variables
..................................................................................................
16
Other Variables of Interest
..................................................................................................
16
Statistical Analysis
...................................................................................................................
17
Chapter 4
Results...................................................................................................................
19
Sample Demographics
.............................................................................................................
19
Bivariate
Analysis.....................................................................................................................
20
Multivariate Logistic Regression
..............................................................................................
20
Chapter 5
Discussion..............................................................................................................
22
Discussion of Results
...............................................................................................................
22
Limitations...............................................................................................................................
23
Future Directions
.....................................................................................................................
25
Conclusion
...............................................................................................................................
26
References............................................................................................................................. 27
Tables.................................................................................................................................... 31
Table 1: Sample Characteristics
...............................................................................................
31
Table 2: Bivariate Analysis for variables related to NPD
.......................................................... 32
Table 3: Potential Predictors of
NPD........................................................................................
33
Table 4:Multivariate Associations between Key Covariates and NPD
...................................... 34
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