New stats show gay, lesbian and bisexual Australians suffer from poorer health, especially when it comes to emotional health and suffering physical violence.

A study from UQ also finds bisexual people are at higher risk of poor outcomes compared to both heterosexual and gay/lesbian people.

“Disparities in health and wellbeing between gay/lesbian and heterosexual individuals were stable from 2012 to 2016,” said lead researcher Dr Francisco Perales said.

“In the same period, disparities between bisexual and heterosexual individuals widened for more than half of the indicators.”

The study also found that non-heterosexual women – particularly bisexual women – fared worse than non-heterosexual men.

“The combination of disadvantaged statuses could have a compounding effect on the health and wellbeing of this group,” Dr Perales said.

The disadvantage is more pronounced in domains such as mental health, emotional problems and social functioning, and less pronounced for physical functioning and substance abuse.

Dr Perales said the findings highlighted the importance of fully integrating sexual orientation in health policy and practice.

“They also underscore the need for further research that identifies the factors contributing to LGB disadvantage, including stigma and discrimination.”

The study is accessible here.