A new study of gay, lesbian and bisexual people has revealed that members of the community are at a higher risk for dementia than their heterosexual counterparts.
Michigan State University performed the study, which compared the cognitive abilities of more than 3,500 adults. Areas of research included temporal orientation; language; visuospatial skills; executive function; attention, concentration and working memory; and short-term memory. Researchers also compared different physical and social conditions, mental health conditions and lifestyle habits in hopes of determining any related causes.
The researchers concluded that gay, lesbian and bisexual people are at a higher risk for mild cognitive impairment or early dementia than their straight counterparts. The study also appeared to find a cause: queer people experience much higher rates of depression.
“We knew that stress and depression are risk factors for many chronic health problems, including cognitive impairment, in later life. LGB people experience more stressful events and have higher rates of depression compared to their heterosexual counterparts,” Ning Hsieh, an assistant professor of sociology at MSU and lead author of the study told Medical Express.
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“Our findings suggest that depression may be one of the important underlying factors leading to cognitive disadvantages for LGB people,” Hsieh added. “They may experience higher rates of depression than their heterosexual peers for many reasons, including not being accepted by parts of society, feeling ashamed of their sexual orientation or trying to hide their romantic relationships and being treated unfairly in school or at work.”
Hsieh also stressed that more research is needed to better understand the link between the depression sexual minorities suffer and cognitive impairment. She also added that other risk factors, such as drinking or smoking, did not appear to affect development of dementia later in life.
“Social inequality makes less privileged groups, including sexual minorities, more prone to develop cognitive impairment,” Hsieh concluded. “Making the society more just and more accepting of diverse sexuality may help prevent dementia and reduce related health care burden on society.”
Numerous studies conducted over the past 50 years have shown that LGBTQ people are at much higher risk for depression and suicide as a result of societal stigma.
v6origal97
Women are twice as likely to develop dementia than men, and rate of development increases dramatically by age. It’s a statistical flaw to try and correlate men and women purely based on sexual orientation. LGBTQ+ depression rates are also going to vary by gender of birth, age, country of origin, etc., and have sociological outliers which then inform any diagnosis of depression. This seems like a study created purely to generate grants, because ultimately, it’s overly broad in its data points.
Donston
The correlation is a bit sketchy. Then again, most “lgbtq community” stats are best not to be taken at face value. There’s so many people who stay publicly closeted, so many people who don’t really go in-depth with their dimensions and experiences and struggles, and embracing whatever identity is pretty much a choice. However, though there are many variables, mental health struggles do seem to occur on a bit higher rate for “queers”. Queers on average are a bit more likely to contend with things like trauma, PTSD, fluidity, feeling as if they have to contrive a personality (which is its own trauma), sociological pressures, feeling ostracized, self-resentment, self-destructive instincts, etc. I suppose those things can have certain affects on your biology and brain.
trsxyz
It seems to make sense that higher levels of stress over a lifetime would increase an individual’s chance for developing dementia.
DarkZephyr
After the life I have lived as a gay man, this is not the best news I have ever heard. Being treated like sh*t for being gay can lead to dementia later in life? Great. Prepare me for the dementia train, I guess.
Josh447
It’s also known that the most difficult lives can bear the smartest toughest people.
I think this study is bogus. I know alot Alot of gay bi folk and none have suffered dimentia, nor is it ever talked about. I wouldn’t place any worry with this article. It simply doesn’t resonate.
john.k
I’m 71 and I’m not aware of any gay person I have known since I came out in the late 1970’s having suffered dementia. I know my personal experience is not a scientific study but still . . . it makes me wonder about this study.
basils_Herald
I heartily agree with the other skeptics in the forum. Any one queer population is generally too small to study scientifically, because of sample size. When we do manage to get studied, we have to either piggy back on something else or fund it ourselves through something like the Pride Study.
Cite your sources – sounds like overblown science clickbait.
Donston
It just doesn’t really link up. We don’t even know if depression/trauma/mental health struggles are connected to dementia. So, these conclusions are a definite reach.
Tombear
It’s the poppers, I say, the poppers!
Josh447
LoL of course.
msfrost
Bovine Excrement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anti-LGBT, propaganda.
Donston
I wouldn’t go that far. A lot of people like playing up the self-pity thing. This “study” would help to assist that.
It does seem poorly researched, and there’s just too many variables. There are so many random studies on “lgbtq people”, and most lead to some contradictory conclusions. However, this does remind us how we need to start openly talking about and confronting trauma and mental health issues.
Cato
I’m still not going to forget who treated us badly over the years.
JromeGervais09
I agree with Donston above. This is very sketchy and questionable science data.
inbama
If you think “Queer Theory” makes sense, you’re already symptomatic.
Den
If you believe social criticism, such as “queer theory” (which lacks any empirical standard) has any relation to scientific research (as your comment implies), YOU are the one showing symptoms of dementia, or at least ignorance of science and the scientific method.
Matthewnow
Where am I?
Den
It is only from repeated studies getting similar results that theories gain strength.
One study is interesting, but not much more than interesting except to the media.
When 5 or 10 surveys/studies have been done, and when results have been analyzed for gender, co-factors and family history; only then will conclusions have strength.
Were this not the case the incorrect notion that vaccines increase the risk of autism might still be considered valid. Verified, reviewed research suggests further research, and empirical truths are approached slowly.
Roy Ajax
i don’t think any of the writers on the Queerty team (and they’re not journalists), know how to put information in any real context. One tiny study seems to infer a theory and all of a sudden the “Science” on this is clear!