Sexual Orientation and Salivary Alpha-Amylase Diurnal Rhythms in a Cohort of U.S. Young Adults

Sexual orientation-related physical and mental health disparities have been well-documented in the United States. Sexual minorities report greater prevalence of depressive and anxious symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), disordered eating, and other adverse health outcomes compared with heterosexual populations (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Both stress and attachment paradigms suggest that health inequities adversely affecting sexual minorities result from social stigmatization enacted through discrimination, harassment, abuse, and violence (Minority Stress Theory) (Meyer, 2003; Rosario et al., 2002) and from less secure attachment during child or adolescent development as a consequence of poor family dynamics (e.g., parental rejection) (Attachment Model for LGB Individuals) (Rosario, 2015; Rosario et al., 2014a; Rosario et al., 2014b).

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - July 9, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: S. Bryn Austin, Margaret Rosario, Katie A. McLaughlin, Andrea L. Roberts, Vishnudas Sarda, Kimberly Yu, Stacey Missmer, Laura Anatale-Tardiff, Emily A. Scherer Source Type: research