Sexual minority youth and depressive symptoms or depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies

Objective: Research has suggested that sexual minority young people are more likely to have depressive symptoms or depressive disorder, but to date most studies in the field have relied on convenience-based samples. This study overcomes this limitation by systematically reviewing the literature from population-based studies and conducting a meta-analysis to identify whether depressive disorder and depressive symptoms are elevated in sexual minority youth.

Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted and informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement to determine if rates of depressive symptoms or depressive disorder differ for sexual minority youth, relative to heterosexual adolescents. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE and ERIC databases were searched. Studies reporting depressive symptom data or the prevalence of depressive disorder in population-based samples of adolescents, which included sexual minority youth and heterosexual young people, were included in the review. A meta-analysis was conducted to examine differences between groups.

Results: Twenty-three articles met the inclusion criteria. The proportion of sexual minority youth in the studies ranged from 2.3% to 12%. Sexual minority youth reported higher rates of depressive symptoms and depressive disorder (odds ratio = 2.94, p < 0.001 and standardized mean difference, d = 0.39, p < 0.001) in comparison to heterosexual young people. Female sexual minority youth were more likely to report depressive symptoms when compared to male sexual minority youth (standardized mean difference, d = 0.34, p < 0.001). Limitations included variations in how sexuality was operationalized and how depressive symptoms or depressive disorder was measured.

Conclusions: There is robust evidence that rates of depressive disorder and depressive symptoms are elevated in sexual minority youth in comparison to heterosexual young people. Despite the elevated risk of depressive symptoms or depressive disorder for sexual minority youth, the treatment for this group of young people has received little attention.