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To examine the effects of adolescents' sexual orientation on physical and mental health. Method: Participants were 3,776 class 10 students (51% boys) from 161 schools in Iceland. The participants were classified as gay, non-gay, and sexual orientation unknown at this time (other). Measures included mental health (e.g., sadness, irritability, nervousness, and difficulty sleeping) and physical health (e.g., headaches, stomach ache, back ache, and dizziness). Results: Participants that were gay had a higher frequency of sadness, irritability, nervousness, and difficulty sleeping than either non-gay or other participants. Gay participants also had a higher frequency of headaches, stomach aches, back aches, and dizziness than either non-gay or other participants. Conclusion: Consistent with overseas findings gay adolescents in Iceland had worse physical and mental health outcome than either non-gay or other adolescents. |
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