Prevalence and Correlates of Anxiety and Depression Among LGBT Individuals in Nepal

It investigates the prevalence of depression and anxiety among LGBT individuals and explores factors associated with these mental health outcomes.

• The article reports a community-based, cross-sectional quantitative study conducted in urban areas of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, between January and May 2018.

Exclusion criteria included inability to complete the questionnaire due to language barriers.

• A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed.
• Participants: 197 LGBT adults aged 18 years and above, recruited via snowball sampling.
• Setting: Urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

• Primary outcomes: Depression and anxiety.
• Depression assessment: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale.
• Anxiety assessment: Beck Anxiety Inventory.
• Secondary measures: Sociodemographic and behavioral factors.
• Analysis: Multivariable logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals.

• Depression: 18.27% of LGBT participants met criteria indicative of depression.
• Anxiety: 25.38% displayed anxiety symptoms.
• Ethnicity: Individuals from minority ethnic groups showed higher odds of depression compared with Brahmin/Chhetri peers (aOR 4.31; 95% CI 1.02 to 18.20).
• Suicide history: A reported history of suicide attempts was strongly associated with both depression (aOR 11.20; 95% CI 3.94 to 32.00) and anxiety (aOR 3.27; 95% CI 1.46 to 7.33).

They also recommend further research employing representative sampling and longitudinal designs to strengthen causal inference and generalizability.

• The study notes substantial mental health burden among LGBT individuals in Nepal, with disparities linked to ethnicity, self-rated health, and prior suicide attempts.
• Limitations explicitly acknowledged include the sampling method (snowball sampling) and potential representational constraints, as well as language-related exclusions that may affect generalizability.
• The authors call for inclusive, culturally sensitive mental health interventions and targeted support for this population.

• While associations are presented with aORs and CIs for selected factors, the study’s cross-sectional nature limits causal interpretation.
• No numeric data beyond prevalence and the specified aORs were provided in the available content, and no outcomes beyond depression and anxiety were reported.