OBJECTIVE: Although early surveys of psychological adjustment among gay
men and lesbians suggest only minor and not clinically relevant differences
from heterosexual populations, concerns about psychiatric morbidity
associated with HIV infection have renewed interest in the prevalence of
psychological distress in this population, particularly among gay men.
These later studies have focused primarily on white men. However, research
indicates higher crude prevalence rates of psychological distress in
community-drawn samples of African American subjects than in white subjects
and also higher rates in women than in men. The authors examined rates of
depressive distress and suicidal thoughts among homosexually active African
American men and women who might be especially at risk for psychiatric
morbidity due to multiple stigmatized social statuses. METHOD: Two
nationally recruited groups of homosexually active African Americans (829
men and 603 women) completed self-administered questionnaires, including
the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. RESULTS:
Homosexually active black women were as distressed as HIV-infected gay
black men. Men with symptomatic HIV disease were significantly more
distressed than men who were HIV infected but asymptomatic, HIV-antibody
negative, or whose HIV status was unknown. Both men and women reported
distress levels in excess of those previously reported in studies of blacks
or primarily white gay men. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to
identify specific predictors of life stressors and lack of social support
among homosexually active African Americans who appear to be at higher risk
for depressive distress.Abstract Teaser