Assignment Problem: Respond to this post your response should be 200 words long
Gender identity and sexuality are spectral and dynamic over time. The medical and research term MSM refers to 'men who have sex with men' or 'males who have sex with males' and encompasses all sexual identities. MSM populations have statistically different disease incidences, and medical guidelines often use MSM as a criterion. A current example is the monkey pox vaccine criteria, and it is essential to note that correlation does not equal causation.
In studies of mental health disorders, trends of the MSM population have emerged. Furthermore, analysis of the sexual identity of MSM or self-labeling as ('straight/heterosexual,' 'bisexual,' 'gay,' etc.). Pachankis et al. defined 'closeted' as MSM who does not identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and 'recently-out' as disclosing a lesbian, gay or bisexual identity within the past eight years (2015). When comparing the incidence of General Anxiety Disorder of recently out MSM with closeted MSM, they found an odds ratio of 5.51 (p≤0.1) (Pachankis et al., 2015).
The population of recently-out MSM has a higher incidence of General Anxiety Disorder which has severe implications for being part of a community. The traditional situation of recently-out MSM presents the challenge of leaving one community and entering a new one. The concept of minority stress describes anxiety rooted in being part of a stigmatized group. Recently-out MSM are discovering and embracing their own identity and experiencing the resolution of discord with the heteronormative mainstream. The recently-out MSM exhibits an increased incidence of General Anxiety Disorder which becomes an obstacle to participating in the new community (Pachankis et al., 2015). A recently-out MSM needs to adjust to many components of the non-heterosexual community. In addition to becoming part of a new stigmatized community, the recently-out MSM will see a change in their role in other communities. Adjustments and potential rejection from community domains such as family, religion, and work exist.
A necessary intervention for the nurse to employ when interacting with a recently-out MSM is to listen and engage in therapeutic communication. The nurse must put aside all preconceived notions of the recently-out MSM; the coming out experience is not universally utterly cathartic. The nurse must listen without judgment and be aware that the recently-out MSM is in a long transitional stage, which some research has defined as an eight-year period. The patient's liminality requires nursing care that does not assume a purely positive or negative experience. Wise nurses will know that data supports the benefit of Cognitive Behavior Therapy modalities in such populations (Newcomb & Mustanski, 2010).
Nurses need to be aware that specific populations are at-risk for specific mental health disorders but also understand that this knowledge needs to guide thorough examination rather than assumed to be applicable. Demographics are to promote interventions, not stereotype and make assumptions.
References:
Newcomb, M. E., & Mustanski, B. (2010). Internalized homophobia and internalizing mental health problems: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(8), 1019-1029.
Pachankis, J. E., Cochran, S. D., & Mays, V. M. (2015). The mental health of sexual minority adults in and out of the closet: A population-based study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(5), 890-901.