Research Alert: March 21, 2024

New Recap on LGBTQ+ Health

Gateway has developed Rural Health Research Recaps to identify the key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers on specific rural health topics. The following Recap examines lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) health.

LGBTQ+ Health: Rural vs Urban Inequities

• When analyzing rural and urban lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual adults from 2019-2020, the highest levels of depression and anxiety disorder were found among rural LGB adults, with 38.6% reporting a dual diagnosis. Urban heterosexual adults had the highest rates of neither depression nor anxiety disorder diagnosis (81.0%).
• From 2019-2020, rural LGB adults were more likely to report poor/fair self-rated health than rural heterosexual adults.
• From 2016-2018, transgender adults, regardless of location, were less likely to agree that they received the social support they need compared to their cisgender counterparts (42.6% vs 76.6%). Rural transgender adults were also more likely to disagree that they get the familial support they need, compared to rural cisgender adults (40.8% vs 17.5%).
• When representatives from 14 LGBTQ+ support and advocacy organizations from around the U.S. were asked about challenges experienced by rural LGBTQ+ populations, the top two themes that emerged were lack of resources and lack of cultural competency.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guide: Social Determinants of Health