Religious freedom restoration acts and sexual minority population health in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID9052994
AuthorsJohn R Blosnich (0000-0001-7663-3638, University of Pittsburgh), Erin C Cassese (0000-0002-6443-6511, West Virginia University), M Reuel Friedman (0000-0001-6191-9799), May Friedman (0000-0003-3790-1139, University of Pittsburgh), Robert W S Coulter (0000-0001-8350-0075, University of Pittsburgh), Jordan M Sang (0000-0001-5649-0326, University of Pittsburgh), Derrick D Matthews (0000-0002-3579-3608, University of Pittsburgh), Christina Mair (0000-0003-3841-3313, University of Pittsburgh)
Year2019
Volume89
Issue6
Pages675-681
Publication date2019-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9432 • E-ISSN: 1939-0025
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/ort0000349
PMID30247051
OpenAlexW2892386384
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited10

Religious freedom restoration acts (RFRAs) in the United States potentially facilitate discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals (i.e., sexual minorities). In the current investigation, we explored whether a population health metric among sexual minority adults changed over time based on the presence, absence, or introduction of a state RFRA. Data are from 21 of the United States that gathered sexual orientation data from population-based samples of noninstitutionalized adults in the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (CDC, 2015, 2016). The analytic sample included 4,911 sexual minority individuals. Time was measured in 4 3-month quarters (i.e., Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4). For each state, the prevalence of sexual minority adults reporting ≥14 unhealthy days/30 days was calculated. Only Indiana (the only state in the sample that passed an RFRA in 2015) exhibited significant increasing proportions over time of sexual minority adults reporting ≥14 unhealthy days (Q1 = 24.5%, Q2 = 34.8%, Q3 = 41.2%, Q4 = 59.5%; β = 0.50, SE = 0.23, p = .037). Post hoc analyses revealed that unhealthy days did not increase for heterosexual adults in Indiana. Indiana's RFRA could have contributed to the increasing prevalence of unhealthy days among sexual minority adults in that state during 2015. Public health surveillance tools are needed to expedite analyses of the impact of laws on minority population health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System · Homosexuality · Lesbian · MEDLINE · Political science · Population · PsycINFO · Public health · Sexual minority · Sexual orientation · Sociology · Young adult · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Law · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology · Gerontology

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