
Gay and bisexual men who move from a country with a high stigma against LGBTQ people to a country with good LGBTQ rights experience a significantly lower risk of suicide and depression, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.
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Gay and bisexual men have a lower risk of suicide in more tolerant countries
The study, which used data from 48 countries, strengthens previous research showing that a country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and social attitudes create structural stigma, which can negatively affect the mental health of gay and bisexual men.
This study used a new approach to test the negative psychological consequences of structural stigma by examining data from gay and bisexual men who moved between countries with different very structural stigmas.
The study found that gay and bisexual men had a lower risk of depression and suicidality when they moved from higher-stigma countries to lower-stigma countries, especially when they had lived in the new country for five years or longer.
The study used data from an online survey 2017-2018 with more than 123,000 participants living in countries in Europe and Asia. Most of the participants were gay or bisexual men. The survey asked participants to assess their mental health as well as other factors, such as the extent to which they felt compelled to hide their sexual orientation and how socially isolated they felt.
The researchers analysed data from participants who moved between countries with different levels of structural stigma measured by an indicator compiled from 15 laws and policies concerning LGBTQ rights, as well as social attitudes. More than 11,000 participants who moved from countries with higher to lower stigma were included in the analysis.
Although the study did not examine the effects of specific laws and policies, one of the most common forms of structural stigma in higher stigma countries was the lack of legal recognition of relationships, such as same-sex marriage. Men who moved from countries with higher to lower stigma were more likely to move to live openly as LGBTQ and to seek asylum than men who moved from countries with lower to higher stigma.
For the smaller number of gay and bisexual men who moved from countries with lower to higher stigmas, there was no increased risk of suicidality and depression, possibly because growing up in a more tolerant society has lasting benefits for mental health.
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