Barriers to Accessing Mental Healthcare for Gay and Bisexual Men Living in Oklahoma

The American College of Physicians has recently called for research to understand the potential causes of LGBT health disparities that exist when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Barriers to accessing mental health care can be a cause of this disparity. To address this, the current study asked participants (N = 209) if they had received mental health care (MHC) over the past year and during their lifetime. Andersen’s (1967) behavioral health model was used to predict healthcare utilization. A hierarchical logistic regression was conducted to predict MHC, in the past year (12) and during their lifetime (L). Both models were significant: for MHC-L, (χ²(6) = 41.57, p <.001), and for MHC-12 (χ²(6) = 53.26, p <.001). Both models had previous mental health diagnosis and disclosure of sexual orientation status as significant predictors. Individuals who more openly disclosed sexual orientation status were more likely to have used mental health services. Implications and limitations to the study are discussed.