Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Aims:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other people (LGBT+) individuals may have a greater risk of experiencing mental and physical health issues. In the past years, the predominant theme of research was HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study aimed to explore the most recent patterns in medical research concerning LGBT+ persons.

Methods:

A bibliometric analysis using Biblioshiny was conducted. Based on previous studies, years of observation ranged between 2008 and 2021. Web of Science Core Collection was used.

Results:

A total of 31,039 articles were selected. Top journals centered around HIV/AIDS and STIs (n = 6), followed by sexual behaviors/sexuality (n = 2) and LGBT+ health (n = 2). The US led in research output (n = 16,249). Papers were categorized into three main clusters (which showed different evolution across time): one addressing HIV/AIDS, STIs, and sexual behaviors, another focusing on mental health, discrimination, and stigma, and a third, smaller cluster examining transgender, intersex, and gender-diverse health.

Conclusions:

This article highlighted a growth in LGBT+ health research, uncovering research disparities among countries. While HIV/AIDS and STIs still dominated, a crucial theme concerning mental health, discrimination, and stigma has been rising. Declining interest in gender-diverse health, and disparities in research attention to different LGBT+ subgroups, underscored the need for more comprehensive and inclusive research to address complex health disparities.

Keywords

inequalities public health health inequalities

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

World Health Organization. Improving LGBTIQ+ health and well-being with consideration for SOGIESC. Available online at: https://www.who.int/activities/improving-lgbtqi-health-and-well–being-with-consideration-for-sogiesc

Fredriksen-Goldsen

Kim

Barkan

, et al. Health disparities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual older adults: results from a population-based study. Am J Public Health 2013;103(10):1802–9.

Cochran

Mays

. Physical health complaints among lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and homosexually experienced heterosexual individuals: results from the California quality of life survey. Am J Public Health 2007;97(11):2048–55.

Cochran

Mays

Sullivan

. Prevalence of mental disorders, psychological distress, and mental health services use among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States. J Consult Clin Psychol 2003;71(1):53–61.

McDermott

Nelson

Weeks

. The politics of LGBT+ health inequality: conclusions from a UK scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18(2):826.

Medina-Martínez

Saus-Ortega

Sánchez-Lorente

, et al. Health inequities in LGBT people and nursing interventions to reduce them: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18(22):11801.

Rich

Salway

Scheim

, et al. Sexual minority stress theory: remembering and honoring the work of Virginia Brooks. LGBT Health 2020;7(3):124–7.

Brooks

. Minority stress and lesbian women. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books; 1981.

Zeeman

Sherriff

Browne

, et al. A review of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) health and healthcare inequalities. Eur J Public Health 2019;29(5):974–80.

10.

Wakefield

. Cancer care disparities in the LGBT community. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care 2021;15(3):174–9.

11.

Morris

Cooper

Ramesh

, et al. Training to reduce LGBTQ-related bias among medical, nursing, and dental students and providers: a systematic review. BMC Med Educ 2019;19(1):325.

12.

Snyder

. Trend analysis of medical publications about LGBT persons: 1950–2007. J Homosex 2011;58(2):164–88.

13.

Boehmer

. Twenty years of public health research: inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations. Am J Public Health 2002;92(7):1125–30.

14.

Donthu

Kumar

Mukherjee

, et al. How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines. J Bus Res 2021;133:285–96.

15.

Aria

Cuccurullo

. Bibliometrix : an R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. J Informetr 2017;11(4):959–75.

16.

van Eck

Waltman

. Visualizing bibliometric networks. In: Y

Ding

Rousseau

Wolfram

(eds) Measuring scholarly impact. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2014. pp. 285–320.

17.

Aria

Cuccurullo

. Biblioshiny: bibliometrix for no coders. Available online at: https://bibliometrix.org/biblioshiny/biblioshiny1.html

18.

Aria

Cuccurullo

. Bibliometrix: knowledge synthesis. Available online at: https://bibliometrix.org/biblioshiny/biblioshiny3.html

19.

Grant

Lama

Anderson

, et al. Preexposure chemoprophylaxis for HIV prevention in men who have sex with men. N Engl J Med 2010;363(27):2587–99.

20.

Workowski

Bolan

, Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2015. MMWR Recomm Rep 2015;64(RR-03):1–137.

21.

Thigpen

Kebaabetswe

Paxton

, et al. Antiretroviral preexposure prophylaxis for heterosexual HIV transmission in Botswana. N Engl J Med 2012;367(5):423–34.

22.

Plancikova

Duric

O’May

. High-income countries remain overrepresented in highly ranked public health journals: a descriptive analysis of research settings and authorship affiliations. Crit Public Health 2021;31(4):487–93.

23.

Talan

Drake

Glick

, et al. Sexual and gender minority health curricula and institutional support services at U.S. Schools of Public Health. J Homosex 2017;64(10):1350–67.

24.

Roehr

. FDA approves first drug to prevent HIV infection. BMJ 2012;345:e4879.

25.

Beyrer

Baral

van Griensven

, et al. Global epidemiology of HIV infection in men who have sex with men. Lancet 2012;380(9839):367–77.

26.

Mayer

Nelson

Hightow-Weidman

, et al. The persistent and evolving HIV epidemic in American men who have sex with men. Lancet 2021;397(10279):1116–26.

27.

Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC). Prevalence and awareness of HIV infection among men who have sex with men—21 cities, United States, 2008. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2010;59(37):1201–7.

28.

Safer

. Research gaps in medical treatment of transgender/nonbinary people. J Clin Invest 2021;131(4):e142029.

29.

Ortiz-Martínez

Ríos-González

. Need for more research on and health interventions for transgender people. Sex Health 2017;14(2):196–7.

30.

Zeeman

Aranda

. A systematic review of the health and healthcare inequalities for people with intersex variance. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17(18):6533.

31.

Hana

Butler

Young

, et al. Transgender health in medical education. Bull World Health Organ 2021;99(4):296–303.

32.

Choi

. Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in2023. CNN 2024; 22 January. Available online at: https://edition.cnn.com/politics/anti-lgbtq-plus-state-bill-rights-dg/index.html

33.

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Lesbian Health Research Priorities. Lesbian health: current assessment and directions for the future (ed Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Lesbian Health Research Priorities and Solarz AL). Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1999.

34.

Bradford

Ryan

Honnold

, et al. Expanding the research infrastructure for lesbian health. Am J Public Health 2001;91(7):1029–32.

35.

Gilbey

Morgan

Lin

, et al. Effectiveness, acceptability, and feasibility of digital health interventions for LGBTIQ+ young people: systematic review. J Med Internet Res 2020;22(12):e20158.

36.

Dilley

Simmons

Boysun

, et al. Demonstrating the importance and feasibility of including sexual orientation in public health surveys: health disparities in the Pacific Northwest. Am J Public Health 2010;100(3):460–7.

37.

Lick

Durso

Johnson

. Minority stress and physical health among sexual minorities. Perspect Psychol Sci 2013;8(5):521–48.

38.

Boehmer

. LGBT Populations’ barriers to cancer care. Semin Oncol Nurs 2018;34(1):21–9.

39.

Fredriksen-Goldsen

Kim

McKenzie

, et al. Plan of action for real-world translation of LGBTQ health and aging research. LGBT Health 2017;4(6):384–8.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.50 MB

Mapping research on LGBT+ persons’ health: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Aims:

Methods:

Results:

Conclusions:

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References

Supplementary Material