Sexuality poses no risk to mental health, a new study has found, challenging a common perception that homosexual and bisexual people are at risk of poor mental health and suicide because of their orientation.

The research, carried out over eight years and led by the Australian National University, found that the risk commonly attributed to sexual orientation was driven by other factors, including negative social interactions, the absence of support, adversity in childhood such as sexual trauma, and even smoking.



Homosexual and bisexual people did experience more of these risk factors, which leader researcher Dr Richard Burns said may be a consequence of their orientation, particularly at the time of their coming out.

People of bisexual orientation were found to be at more at risk of poor mental health than those of homosexual orientation, but the study concluded the risk was mitigated “when all individuals are provided with positive and supportive social networks and they have lower risk factors”, said Burns.

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He said a heterosexual person feeling unsupported in a stressful or traumatic situation “would be at just as much risk as a homosexual who is reporting negative social support ... It’s these other risk factors that are driving people’s risks, not their sexual orientation.” Burns added that social support and negative health behaviours were “modifiable”.

The study was informed by interviews conducted over eight years with 5,000 young and middle-aged adults of homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual orientation participating in the Personality & Total Health (PATH) Through Life longitudinal study.

Homosexual and bisexual people’s risk of poor mental health and suicide was held up by marriage equality campaigners in Australia as a case against holding a plebiscite on the issue.

Burns said an absence of support from family, friends and the wider community was a known risk factor for poor mental health, and that could include discrimination under legislation or in public discourse.

Micah Scott, chief executive officer of the Minus 18 organisation for same-sex-attracted and gender-diverse young people, said the findings reinforced concerns that the conservative campaign against legalising same-sex marriage would be harmful to gay and bisexual Australians.



“The study really reinforces what we’ve been saying for a long time now: members of the LGBTQI people experience discrimination and abuse that’s really unique from what we see in other demographics.”

An “extraordinarily high” 75% of all LGBTI young people experience discrimination or abuse, said Scott, with the majority of that occurring at school.

Scott said young people experiencing discrimination because of their race could often seek support from their family members. “But a young gay man who’s being bullied at school may not have a supportive family to go home to, and rarely one that’s shared that experience. The experience of growing up and coming out is really unique to this generation of LGBTI people.”

The study’s finding that lack of acceptance or support was a risk factor for poor mental health came as no surprise to Scott. “Those experiences from the get-go, from the beginning of your life, frame your way of thinking and your feelings of self-worth.

“It’s the experience of discrimination, like being told by your government that your relationship is lesser or that you can’t get married, those are the things that contribute to poor mental health outcomes ... It’s really the rest of the world’s perceptions, the stigma and other people’s negativity that impact gay and bisexual people.”