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June 20 (UPI) -- Bisexual and transgender people were nearly twice as likely to experience loneliness and depression, according to a recent study. Coinciding with Pride Month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released a report that found feelings of loneliness, lack of social support and frequent mental distress were most prevalent among LGBTQ people in 2022.
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"This analysis reinforces existing evidence that loneliness and lack of social and emotional support are associated with depression and stress," the report read. "The findings in this report also identified that prevalences of loneliness, lack of social and emotional support, stress, FMD and depression were significantly higher among bisexual and transgender persons than among heterosexual and cisgender persons."
The study examined nearly 237,000 participants in 26 states. Overall, 32.1% of respondents reported feelings of loneliness, and 24.1% said they lack social and emotional support.
The prevalence of loneliness was highest among adults who identified as bisexual, at 56.7%, compared to 30.3% of heterosexuals, 41.2% of people who identified as gay and 44.8% who identified as lesbian.
Transgender people reported the highest level of loneliness, with transgender males at 62.6%, transgender females at 56.4% and gender nonconforming people at 63.9%.
Comparatively, 32.1% of respondents who identified as cisgender reported feelings of loneliness.
Lack of social and emotional support was highest among LGBTQ people, as well. Prevalence was highest among bisexual people at 36.5% compared to 22.8% of straight people.
Transgender women reported the greatest lack of social support at 44.8% along with 34.4% of transgender men, compared to 23.8% of cisgender people.
Consequentially, stress, frequent mental distress and depression were more than twice as prevalent among LGBTQ respondents compared to straight, cisgender participants. Transgender people had the highest levels of depression at 67.2%, compared to 21.3% of all respondents.
Other contributing factors to loneliness, stress and depression in the report include having less than a high school education, having never married and having a household income below $25,000.
According to the CDC, addressing mental health disparities among LGBTQ+ people should include understanding of the heightened sense of loneliness and lack of social support for these groups to improve health care outcomes.
The study coincides with a May report from the American Cancer Society that found LGBTQ people were more likely to face discrimination leading to lower-quality medical care.
The ACS report also found LGBTQ had higher risk factors for cancer, as these people were more likely to develop drinking or smoking habits due to stress.
