IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i20p13063-d940457.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Psychoactive Substance Effect on Mental Health and Well-Being Focusing on Student-Aged Lithuanian Cohort of Sexual Minorities

Author

Listed:
  • Marius Baranauskas

    (Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Panevėžys University of Applied Sciences, 35200 Panevėžys, Lithuania)

  • Ingrida Kupčiūnaitė

    (Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Panevėžys University of Applied Sciences, 35200 Panevėžys, Lithuania)

  • Rimantas Stukas

    (Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, 01513 Vilnius, Lithuania)

Abstract

Mental health refers to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being. However, significant research gaps are still found in disclosing the disparities in mental health outcomes between heterosexual and sexual minority (SM) individuals during the period of 20–24 years of age. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the association between the prevalence of psychoactive substance use and the severity of anxiety or depressive symptoms, and well-being across SM and non-SM student-aged populations (N = 1330). This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lithuania over the period of fifteen months following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study concentrated on the mental health symptomatology, well-being status, and the prevalence of the psychoactive substance use, which were measured by three screening instruments. In terms of negative well-being, mental health problems, and health-risk behaviors, it was found that the SMs were potentially more exposed than the non-SMs. The current study also revealed a significant impact of substance use (alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking) on the symptoms of anxiety (adjusted odds ratios ( AOR ) 1.6 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0–2.6), AOR 1.5 (95% CI: 1.0–2.2)), and negative well-being ( AOR 1.7 (95% CI: 1.0–2.8), AOR 1.7 (95% CI: 1.1–2.5)) across the SM student-aged group. The association between the increased self-administration of cannabis and positive mental health outcomes appertained to milder anxiety symptoms amid SMs has been identified ( AOR 0.5 (95% CI: 0.2–0.9)). Given that minority stressors could play an important part in mediating between the sexual orientation and negative outcomes of mental and behavioral health in student-aged populations, health strategies should focus on the development of effective substance abuse and drug prevention programs, both student-centered and SMs-centered, aimed to reduce health-risk behaviors in emerging adulthood.

Suggested Citation

  • Marius Baranauskas & Ingrida Kupčiūnaitė & Rimantas Stukas, 2022. "Psychoactive Substance Effect on Mental Health and Well-Being Focusing on Student-Aged Lithuanian Cohort of Sexual Minorities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-16, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:20:p:13063-:d:940457
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/20/13063/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/20/13063/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marie-Anne Valfort, 2017. "LGBTI in OECD Countries: A Review," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 198, OECD Publishing.
    2. Safa, Farhana & Anjum, Afifa & Hossain, Sahadat & Trisa, Tonima Islam & Alam, Syeda Fatema & Abdur Rafi, Md. & Podder, Vivek & Koly, Kamrun Nahar & Azad, Dewan Tasnia & Ahmad, Wasi Uddin & Nodi, Rhede, 2021. "Immediate psychological responses during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic among Bangladeshi medical students," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    3. Bostwick, W.B. & Boyd, C.J. & Hughes, T.L. & McCabe, S.E., 2010. "Dimensions of sexual orientation and the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(3), pages 468-475.
    4. Operario, D. & Gamarel, K.E. & Grin, B.M. & Lee, J.H. & Kahler, C.W. & Marshall, B.D.L. & Van Den Berg, J.J. & Zaller, N.D., 2015. "Sexual minority health disparities in adult men and women in the United States: National health and nutrition examination survey, 2001?2010," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(10), pages 27-34.
    5. Caceres, B.A. & Brody, A. & Luscombe, R.E. & Primiano, J.E. & Marusca, P. & Sitts, E.M. & Chyun, D., 2017. "A systematic review of cardiovascular disease in sexual minorities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 107(4), pages 13-21.
    6. Hatzenbuehler, M.L. & Keyes, K.M. & Hasin, D.S., 2009. "State-level policies and psychiatric morbidity in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(12), pages 2275-2281.
    7. Conron, K.J. & Scott, G. & Stowell, G.S. & Landers, S.J., 2012. "Transgender health in massachusetts: Results from a household probability sample of adults," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(1), pages 118-122.
    8. Clements-Nolle, K. & Marx, R. & Guzman, R. & Katz, M., 2001. "HIV prevalence, risk behaviors, health care use, and mental health status of transgender persons: Implications for public health intervention," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(6), pages 915-921.
    9. repec:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2016.303630_8 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ethan C Cicero & Sari L Reisner & Elizabeth I Merwin & Janice C Humphreys & Susan G Silva, 2020. "The health status of transgender and gender nonbinary adults in the United States," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, February.
    2. Gordon, Allegra R. & Austin, S. Bryn & Krieger, Nancy & White Hughto, Jaclyn M. & Reisner, Sari L., 2016. "“I have to constantly prove to myself, to people, that I fit the bill”: Perspectives on weight and shape control behaviors among low-income, ethnically diverse young transgender women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 141-149.
    3. Matthew Heinz & Devon MacFarlane, 2013. "Island Lives," SAGE Open, , vol. 3(3), pages 21582440135, September.
    4. Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Bellatorre, Anna & Lee, Yeonjin & Finch, Brian K. & Muennig, Peter & Fiscella, Kevin, 2014. "Structural stigma and all-cause mortality in sexual minority populations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 33-41.
    5. White Hughto, Jaclyn M. & Reisner, Sari L. & Pachankis, John E., 2015. "Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 222-231.
    6. Marta Evelia Aparicio-García & Eva María Díaz-Ramiro & Susana Rubio-Valdehita & María Inmaculada López-Núñez & Isidro García-Nieto, 2018. "Health and Well-Being of Cisgender, Transgender and Non-Binary Young People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-11, September.
    7. Danya Lagos, 2018. "Looking at Population Health Beyond “Male” and “Female”: Implications of Transgender Identity and Gender Nonconformity for Population Health," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2097-2117, December.
    8. Carpenter, Christopher S. & Gonzales, Gilbert & McKay, Tara & Sansone, Dario, 2020. "Effects of the Affordable Care Act Dependent Coverage Mandate on Health Insurance Coverage for Individuals in Same-Sex Couples," IZA Discussion Papers 13119, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Sansone, Dario, 2019. "Pink work: Same-sex marriage, employment and discrimination," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    10. Montserrat Santamaría-Vázquez & Mario Del Líbano & Iratxe Martínez-Lezaun & Juan Hilario Ortiz-Huerta, 2021. "Self-Regulation of Motivation and Confinement by COVID-19: A Study in Spanish University Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    11. Aksoy, Billur & Chadd, Ian & Koh, Boon Han, 2023. "Sexual identity, gender, and anticipated discrimination in prosocial behavior," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    12. Treena Orchard & Katherine Salter & Mary Bunch & Cecilia Benoit, 2020. "Money, Agency, and Self-Care among Cisgender and Trans People in Sex Work," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Laetitia Challe & Yannick L'Horty & Pascale Petit & François-Charles Wolff, 2018. "Les discriminations dans l'accès à l'emploi privé et public : les effets de l'origine, de l'adresse, du sexe et de l'orientation sexuelle," Working Papers halshs-01878469, HAL.
    14. Benjamin Cerf Harris, 2015. "Likely Transgender Individuals in U.S. Federal Administrative Records and the 2010 Census," CARRA Working Papers 2015-03, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    15. Cristiano Scandurra & Andrea Pennasilico & Concetta Esposito & Fabrizio Mezza & Roberto Vitelli & Vincenzo Bochicchio & Nelson Mauro Maldonato & Anna Lisa Amodeo, 2020. "Minority Stress and Mental Health in Italian Bisexual People," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, April.
    16. Yoo Mi Jeong & Cindy B Veldhuis & Frances Aranda & Tonda L Hughes, 2016. "Racial/ethnic differences in unmet needs for mental health and substance use treatment in a community‐based sample of sexual minority women," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(23-24), pages 3557-3569, December.
    17. Marco Fonzo & Silvia Cocchio & Matteo Centomo & Tatjana Baldovin & Alessandra Buja & Silvia Majori & Vincenzo Baldo & Chiara Bertoncello, 2021. "Sexual and Gender Minorities and Risk Behaviours among University Students in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-9, November.
    18. Thespina Yamanis & Mannat Malik & Ana María Del Río-González & Andrea L. Wirtz & Erin Cooney & Maren Lujan & Ruby Corado & Tonia Poteat, 2018. "Legal Immigration Status is Associated with Depressive Symptoms among Latina Transgender Women in Washington, DC," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, June.
    19. Christopher S. Carpenter & Samuel T. Eppink & Gilbert Gonzales, 2020. "Transgender Status, Gender Identity, and Socioeconomic Outcomes in the United States," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(3), pages 573-599, May.
    20. Badgett, M.V. Lee & Waaldijk, Kees & Rodgers, Yana van der Meulen, 2019. "The relationship between LGBT inclusion and economic development: Macro-level evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 1-14.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:20:p:13063-:d:940457. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.