Eating disorders among LGBTQ+ youth in Kansas: relationships with mental and physical health concerns and family, school, and community climates

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth experience disproportionately high prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) compared to cisgender, heterosexual individuals. Limited research is focused on ED risk among LGBTQ+ youth in Midwestern or Southern states where stigma and other ED risk factors are greater. This study utilized a community-based needs assessment survey to examine the prevalence of EDs, their co-occurrence with other mental health concerns, and their associations to family, school, and community climates among a sample of LGBTQ+ youth in Kansas. Logistic regression was employed to determine whether: 1) the presence of depression, anxiety, or a physical health diagnosis was associated with greater adjusted odds of screening for the presence of ED symptoms, and 2) the experience of hostile environment(s) was associated with greater adjusted odds of screening for the presence of ED symptoms. The presence of depression, anxiety, or a physical health diagnosis was not associated with higher adjusted odds of reporting ED symptoms. Participants endorsing at least one hostile environment were more than three times as likely to report ED symptoms, even after controlling for demographic factors (AOR = 3.68, SE = 1.99, p < .05). Implications for research and practice are discussed.