Disparities in mental well-being between non-minority and sexual minority male youth in Bangkok, Thailand: Quantitative findings from a mixed method study

Abstract

This paper investigates whether there are differences in mental well-being between non-minority and sexual minority adolescents. We also explore the experiences of victimization among sexual minority adolescents, compared to their non-minority peers. While the study used mixed methods, with an initial qualitative phase and a subsequent quantitative phase, this paper focuses on the quantitative findings. Male students from five secondary schools (n=1,250) in Bangkok were asked to answer an online questionnaire. Among all participants, 81.8% identified themselves as non-minority and 12.5% as sexual minority with 5.7% missing or unidentifiable responses. The results indicated a higher risk of depression for sexual minority participants than for non-minority participants (odds ratio: 1.85). Sexual minority participants were also more likely than their non-minority peers to have considered (23.2% vs. 9.8%) or attempted (10.3% vs. 2.9%) suicide, and to have been victimized and/or experienced sexual coercion during the past semester. The findings conform to results from previous studies worldwide. Although a causal relationship cannot be inferred from this study, the disparity in mental well-being can be due to the victimization that sexual minority adolescents experience more frequently than their non-minority counterparts.