ArticlePsychological medicine2012
Do shared etiological factors contribute to the relationship between sexual orientation and depression?
Article in Psychological medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- How much is sexual minority stress confounded with familial causes? A systematic multilevel meta-analysis.Psychological medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring the global prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in LGBTIQ+ people: A systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Stressful childhood experiences and health outcomes in sexual minority populations: a systematic review.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2014Pooled it
- Mental health in sexual minorities: Change over time in a Finnish population-based sample.Psychological medicine · 2025Article
- Sexual Orientation, Pubertal Timing, Inhibitory Control, and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: A Birth Cohort Study.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Parental Maltreatment as Mediators of Sexual Orientation Disparities in Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Article
- Genetic and Environmental Influences on Sexual Orientation: Moderation by Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Early-Life Adversity.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Article
- Health Outcomes of Sexual Minority Women Who Have Experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Scoping Review.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2024Article
- Suicidality and protective factors among sexual and gender minority youth and adults in Canada: a cross-sectional, population-based study.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Minority stress theory: Application, critique, and continued relevance.Current opinion in psychology · 2023Review
- Causal Influences of Same-Sex Attraction on Psychological Distress and Risky Sexual Behaviors: Evidence for Bidirectional Effects.Archives of sexual behavior · 2023Article
- Sexual-orientation differences in risk of health-related impaired ability to work and to remain in the paid workforce: a prospective population-based twin study.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Bidirectional Causal Associations Between Same-Sex Attraction and Psychological Distress: Testing Moderation and Mediation Effects.Behavior genetics · 2023Article
- New Data on Birth Order in Homosexual Men and Women and a Reply to Vilsmeier et al. (2021a, 2021b).Archives of sexual behavior · 2022Article
- Neuroticism and Sexual Orientation-Based Victimization as Mediators of Sexual Orientation Disparities in Mental Health.Archives of sexual behavior · 2022Article
- Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Recalled Perceived Parental and Peer Acceptance Thereof, Internalized Homophobia, and Psychological Well-Being Outcomes in Heterosexual and Gay Men from Poland.Archives of sexual behavior · 2022Article
- Mechanisms of Mental-Health Disparities Among Minoritized Groups: How Well Are the Top Journals in Clinical Psychology Representing This Work?Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2022Article
- Examination of Outcomes among Sexual Minorities in Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.Journal of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders · 2022Article
- Do psychosocial factors mediate sexual minorities' risky sexual behaviour? A twin study.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGays, lesbians and bisexuals (i.e. non-heterosexuals) have been found to be at much greater risk for many psychiatric symptoms and disorders, including depression. This may be due in part to prejudice and discrimination experienced by non-heterosexuals, but studies controlling for minority stress, or performed in very socially liberal countries, suggest that other mechanisms must also play a role. Here we test the viability of common cause (shared genetic or environmental etiology) explanations of elevated depression rates in non-heterosexuals.
methodA community-based sample of adult twins (n=9884 individuals) completed surveys investigating the genetics of psychiatric disorder, and were also asked about their sexual orientation. Large subsets of the sample were asked about adverse childhood experiences such as sexual abuse, physical abuse and risky family environment, and also about number of older brothers, paternal and maternal age, and number of close friends. Data were analyzed using the classical twin design.
resultsNon-heterosexual males and females had higher rates of lifetime depression than their heterosexual counterparts. Genetic factors accounted for 31% and 44% of variation in sexual orientation and depression respectively. Bivariate analysis revealed that genetic factors accounted for a majority (60%) of the correlation between sexual orientation and depression. In addition, childhood sexual abuse and risky family environment were significant predictors of both sexual orientation and depression, further contributing to their correlation.
conclusionsNon-heterosexual men and women had elevated rates of lifetime depression, partly due to shared etiological factors, although causality cannot be definitively resolved.
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Registered trials
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