Study challenges Sexual Minority Stress Theory regarding mental health

A meta-analysis published in Psychological Medicine by Cambridge University Press suggests that shared genetic and environmental factors within families account for a significant portion of mental health disparities between heterosexual and non-heterosexual individuals. The study indicates that approximately two-thirds of the discrepancy in mental illness disappears when these shared familial factors are considered.

Michael Bailey, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University and one of the study's authors, stated that the findings challenge the Sexual Minority Stress Theory (SMST). For 30 years, SMST has been the dominant theory, positing that increased rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among sexual minorities are primarily the result of mistreatment and social stress. Bailey noted that mental health disparities have remained relatively constant despite increasing social tolerance in Western nations.