VISN2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua, New York, USA.
J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2013 Jul;22(7):631-6. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2012.4214. Epub 2013 Jun 8.
Lesbian and bisexual (i.e., sexual minority) identity is more common among women veterans than among male veterans. Unique health issues have been identified among women veterans and among sexual minority women, but little is known about women who are both sexual minorities and veterans. This study aimed to compare demographic and health information from sexual minority women veterans with sexual minority women non-veterans and heterosexual women veterans.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data were pooled from ten U.S. states that elected to ask sexual identity during 2010. The analytic sample was comprised of women who identified both their sexual identity and veteran status (n=1,908). Mental health indicators were frequent mental distress, sleep problems, low social/emotional support, and low satisfaction with life. Health risk indicators included current smoking, overweight, and obesity. Physical health status was defined by three components: disability requiring assistive equipment, >14 days of poor physical health in the past 30 days, and activity limitations.
Compared with heterosexual women veterans, sexual minority women veterans had higher odds of mental distress (odds ratio [OR]=3.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.61-5.70) and smoking (OR=2.31, 95%CI: 1.19-4.48). After adjusting for demographic correlates, sexual minority women veterans had three times the odds of poor physical health (OR=3.01, 95%CI: 1.51-5.99) than their sexual minority non-veteran peers.
Results suggest sexual minority women veterans may experience unique health disparities relevant to provision of care in both Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA healthcare systems. Future research requires availability of data that include sexual minority status.
女退伍军人中的女同性恋和双性恋（即性少数群体）身份比男退伍军人更为常见。已经确定了女退伍军人和性少数女性群体中存在的独特健康问题，但对于既是性少数群体又是退伍军人的女性知之甚少。本研究旨在比较性少数女退伍军人与性少数非退伍军人和异性恋女退伍军人的人口统计学和健康信息。
从美国十个选择在 2010 年询问性身份的州收集了行为风险因素监测调查数据。分析样本由同时确定自己的性身份和退伍军人身份的女性组成（n=1908）。心理健康指标包括频繁的心理困扰、睡眠问题、低社会/情感支持和低生活满意度。健康风险指标包括当前吸烟、超重和肥胖。身体健康状况由三个部分定义：需要辅助设备的残疾、过去 30 天内有超过 14 天的身体欠佳和活动受限。
与异性恋女退伍军人相比，性少数女退伍军人出现心理困扰的可能性更高（优势比[OR]=3.03，95%置信区间[CI]：1.61-5.70）和吸烟（OR=2.31，95%CI：1.19-4.48）。在调整了人口统计学相关因素后，性少数女退伍军人出现身体欠佳的可能性是其性少数非退伍军人同行的三倍（OR=3.01，95%CI：1.51-5.99）。
结果表明，性少数女退伍军人可能面临与退伍军人事务部（VA）和非 VA 医疗保健系统提供护理相关的独特健康差距。未来的研究需要能够获得包括性少数群体身份的数据。
