stokes-communityattitudeson-2020.pdf (1.57 MB)
Community attitudes on genetic research of gender identity, sexual orientation, and mental health
journal contribution
posted on 2020-07-08, 00:00 authored by T R Thomas, D Hofammann, B G McKenna, A I R Van Der Miesen, Mark StokesMark Stokes, P Daniolos, J J MichaelsonSex is an important factor in mental health, and a non-binary view of how variation in sex and gender influence mental health represents a new research frontier that may yield new insights. The recent acceleration of research into sexual orientation, gender identity, and mental health has generally been conducted without sufficient understanding of the opinions of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) toward this research. We surveyed 768 individuals, with an enrichment of LGBTQ+ stakeholders, for their opinions regarding genetic research of SGM and mental health. We found that the key predictors of attitudes toward genetic research specifically on SGM are 1) general attitudes toward genetic and mental health research 2) tolerance of SGM and associated behaviors and 3) age of the participant. Nonheterosexual stakeholder status was significantly associated with increased willingness to participate in genetic research if a biological basis for gender identity were discovered. We also found that heterosexual, cisgender participants with a low tolerance for SGM indicated their SGM views would be positively updated if science showed a biological basis for their behaviors and identities. These findings represent an important first step in understanding and engaging the LGBTQ+ stakeholder community in the context of genetic research.
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PLoS ONEVolume
15Issue
7Pagination
1 - 15Publisher
PLOSLocation
San Francisco, CAPublisher DOI
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1932-6203Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2020, Thomas et al.Usage metrics
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