Claim: Sexual and Gender Minorities More Likely to Experience Life Dissatisfaction, Isolation, Stress

Question

      An October 3rd article from this year suggests life dissatisfaction, isolation and stress are higher among sexual and gender minorities. The article is from accredited source, Boston University School of Public Health, and the author Jillian McKoy's Linkedln also lists her as being a BU affiliate. The article is in response to a recent study by BU’s School of Public Health that is linked through the article on JAMA, a verifiable peer reviewed medical journal. The article also interviews the study’s lead, Kevin Nguyen and additionally hyperlinks his name to his BU profile. This study is additionally seen on the National Institute of Health, a government website. This claim appears to be credible and supported through the aforementioned study, although it is important to recognize the study only took place in the United States. A more accurate claim would include this aspect.

Answer 1

This article seems to be true, the claims made in the article are indeed linked through the article on JAMA. This this a verifiable peer-reviewed medical journal based on a real set of studies. Here is the exact article discussing the results of the study:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2823975

Although the main claims of the article appear to be true, it is important to recognize that there could be outside factors influencing the self-reported data. Here is a direct quote from the JAMA article that mentions this.

"Inequities in social risk factors by sexual orientation and gender identity may also be the product of structural discrimination (eg, heterosexism, cisgenderism) and interconnected, mutually-reinforcing discriminatory systems.²³ Public policies that codify equality by sexual orientation and gender identity may have long-term effects on financial security, socioeconomic mobility, and mental well-being.³¹ Our findings regarding dissatisfaction with life, social isolation, and stress are important considering the rapid rise in anti-LGBTQ+ harassment and violence, particularly for gender minority people" (Cascella et al., 2023, para.).

Overall the main claims of the article are true, but take the time to recognize that there could be underlying influences that could also be affecting isolation and stress in sexual and gender minorities.

Answer 2

The claim that sexual and gender minorities are more likely to experience life dissatisfaction, isolation, and stress is true and supported by a variety of studies and credible sources. To begin, your source from the Boston University School of Public Health is reliable, as it is a top research university that receives a large amount of funding and has published thousands of peer-reviewed articles in the last year. Additionally, the author of this particular article, Jillian McKoy, is an accredited journalist and reporter, as she is a senior writer and editor at the Boston University School of Public Health. According to her LinkedIn, she has a "master's degree in public health and over 10 years of experience in journalism and public relations". 

Aside from the research from your particular article being reliable, your claim can also be backed by multiple other similar studies. For example, according to an article by the Mental Health Foundation, members of the LGBTIQ+ community are more prone to mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, due to a high experience of hate crimes, discrimination, homophobia/transphobia, social isolation, and more. Additionally, according to the US Census, "LGBT adults have consistently reported higher rates of symptoms of both anxiety and depression than non-LGBT adults", and, as shown in one of their surveys, "about 35% of non-LGBT respondents ages 18 to 29 reported symptoms of anxiety, compared with 61% of LGBT respondents in this age group". 

*Although your original source does not reference the LGBTQ community and rather the SGM (sexual and gender minority populations), the LGBTQ community is included within SGM.