Health and wellbeing among lesbians, bisexual, and sexually diverse women in Aotearoa New Zealand: An exploratory study

Abstract

Introduction Compared to other western, English-speaking, nations there is limited research on health outcomes in LGBTQ + people in New Zealand; particularly among women. This study set out to explore health and wellbeing in sexual minority women with particular reference to differences between subgroups (i.e., lesbians; bisexual women; sexually diverse women).

Methods This study utilizes data from an online survey of participants recruited in NZ in 2022 as part of the Global Pride Project. The analysis reported here is based on the responses of 67 sexual minority women on measures of health and wellbeing (e.g., general health, depressive symptomatology, quality of life, social support, community engagement).

Results A primary finding of the study was that while sexual identity was a significant predictor of general health it was not a predictor of other study outcomes. Community engagement and social support were found to be significant associations of depressive symptomatology. Social support was also found to be a significant predictor of quality of life. Age was also a predictor of quality of life, with younger sexual minority women reporting lower quality of life.

Conclusion The findings suggest that community engagement and social support play an important role in wellbeing; especially for specific subgroups of sexual minority women, which may be potential targets to improve sexual minority women’s health and well-being. Additional research with larger sample sizes is needed.

Social policy implications The findings of this study underscore the need for sexual minority women to be specifically included in research, interventions and social policy aimed at ensuring health equity.