James Gibb, Indiana University Bloomington, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
Title: Health Consequences of Conversion Therapy Among Sexual Minority People
Abstract: Conversion therapy, also known as sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), encompasses practices intended to change or suppress an individual's sexual orientation. Although substantial research has documented the adverse psychological consequences of these practices, their potential implications for physical health remain poorly understood. This presentation examines the long-term health consequences of conversion therapy among sexual minority populations, drawing on research from two longitudinal cohort studies: RADAR, a study of young sexual minority men, and FAB400, a study of sexual minority individuals assigned female at birth. Using longitudinal data from RADAR, we examine associations between exposure to conversion therapy and the onset of cardiometabolic conditions, demonstrating that individuals with a history of conversion therapy experience substantially elevated risks of adverse cardiometabolic health outcomes. Building on these findings, ongoing research with FAB400 seeks to investigate whether similar associations emerge among sexual minority individuals assigned female at birth and to explore potential psychosocial and biological pathways linking conversion therapy exposure to physical health. Together, these studies situate conversion therapy within a broader life course framework of minority stress and biological embedding, highlighting how experiences of stigma and discrimination may contribute to physiological dysregulation and chronic disease risk. This research advances our understanding of the physical health consequences of conversion therapy and underscores the importance of considering these practices as potential determinants of long-term health disparities among sexual minority populations.
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