Understanding associations between sexual identity change and the mental health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United Kingdom through longitudinal survey

While the existence of poorer mental health among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) populations is well-established, most research does not acknowledge sexual identity shifts when quantifying disparities. This study begins to fill this gap by examining associations between sexual identity change from 2011 to 2023 and current psychological wellbeing and mental health diagnoses self-reported between 2021 and 2023 in the United Kingdom. We utilized a nationally-representative sample of 25,141 respondents aged 16 and older who completed Understanding Society, a longitudinal household survey, in the 2021-2023 wave and responded to the sexual identity question in at least one wave. Using weighted linear and logistic regression, we examined associations between changes in reporting of sexual identity between heterosexual, LGB, and other identities and psychological distress and mental health diagnoses in Wave 13. Sexual identity change was associated (p < .05) with psychological distress and odds of reporting any mental health condition, depression, panic attacks, and anxiety, but not post-traumatic stress disorder. Changes towards LGB identities and consistently identifying as bisexual were significant predictors of poorer mental health across outcomes (increased distress range across groups:1.61-2.58, Adjusted Odds Ratio(AOR) range across items/groups:1.91-4.27). Those who changed from LGB to straight also had higher distress (1.65(95 % CI:0.40-2.91)) and odds of reporting any mental health diagnosis (AOR:1.99(1.34-2.96)) and depression (AOR:2.25(1.48-3.42)) than consistently-heterosexual respondents. Currently LGB-identifying groups, excluding those consistently reporting "other", also had higher odds of reporting any mental health condition (AOR range:1.90-3.71) and depression (AOR range:2.15-3.76). These insights can improve services to reduce mental health disparities among LGB populations.