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Objective: It has been suggested that the homosexually oriented individuals as compared to heterosexual individuals might have some differences in general physical health. Previous studies reported that HIV infection or high levels of psychological distress might have increased the health risks among gay men. The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of life among gay men.
Methods: The study included 40 men aged 18-35 years who defined themselves as homosexual and 40 men aged 18-34 years who defined themselves as heterosexual. A personal questionnaire developed by our group and involved some sociodemographic data of subjects, Bem Sexual Role Inventory (BSRI), and SF-36 Quality of Life Scale were applied in both groups.
Results: When gay men were compared to heterosexual men, there were no statistically significant differences for age, education in years, and cigarettes smoked per day. BMI scores were found to be statistically significantly lower in gay men as compared to heterosexual men. BSRI femininity and masculinity scores of gay men were significantly higher and lower than those of heterosexual men, respectively. The scores of gay men on SF-36 for general health, social function, emotional role, physical function, physical role, energy, and mental health were statistically significantly lower than those of the heterosexual men. It was found that SF-36 mental health score was negatively correlated to the idea that he is experiencing discrimination due to homosexuality (r= -0.276, p=0.042).
Conclusion: The lower quality of life scores in homosexual men compared to heterosexual men can be resulted from higher levels of psychological distress in homosexuals. This idea seems to be supported by the detection of a negative correlation between SF-36 mental health score and the idea that experiencing discrimination due to his homosexuality.