IMR Press / JOMH / Volume 18 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.31083/jomh.2021.091
Open Access Original Research
The characteristics of the vulnerable Chinese gay men with depression and anxiety: a cross-sectional study
Xiaojun Liu1,2,*,†Dongdong Jiang2,3,*,†
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1 Department of Health Management, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, 350122 Fuzhou, Fujian, China
2 Global Health Institute, Wuhan University, 430072 Wuhan, Hubei, China
3 School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, 310058 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
*Correspondence: xiaojun_liu@fjmu.edu.cn (Xiaojun Liu); dongdjiang@zju.edu.cn (Dongdong Jiang)
These authors contributed equally.
J. Mens. Health 2022, 18(2), 32; https://doi.org/10.31083/jomh.2021.091
Submitted: 23 April 2021 | Accepted: 8 July 2021 | Published: 9 February 2022
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background and objective: Depression and anxiety are the most common mental disorders for human health, especially for gay men. This study aimed to assess the status and characteristics of Chinese gay men who were vulnerable to depression, anxiety, or the comorbidity of the two disorders. Material and methods: A total of 367 samples from a cross-sectional survey conducted between November and December 2017 were included. The Chinese version of SCL-90-R was used to measure the levels of anxiety and depression. The unadjusted associations of demographic characteristics with anxiety, depression, and comorbidity were evaluated by chi-square test. The most predictive factors of the respondents’ depression, anxiety and the comorbidity were identified using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and comorbidity were 36.51%, 27.79%, and 26.16%, respectively among gay men. Age, being the only child at home, personal monthly income, sexual orientation disclosure status, and source of participants were related to the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and comorbidity (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Depression and/or anxiety are highly prevalent among Chinese gay men. Prevention strategies should be developed to target the related factors in the gay men population to thwart or slow down the situation. It is also crucial for social and family members to increase the acceptance of Chinese gay men.

Keywords
Chinese gay men
Depression
Anxiety
Comorbidity
Characteristics
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