1 Center for Research on Women and Gender, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois.
2 Department of Health Systems Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago, Illinois.
LGBT Health. 2017 Dec;4(6):419-426. doi: 10.1089/lgbt.2017.0056. Epub 2017 Nov 3.
Given that self-perceptions of mental and physical health are important predictors of health outcomes and well-being, particularly among older adults, this study focuses on associations among age, alcohol consumption, and indicators of both self-rated mental health and self-rated physical health in a sample of sexual minority women (SMW).
This study uses a community sample of SMW to examine the associations among age, drinking, and self-rated mental and physical health.
Heavy drinking among older adult SMW (55+) was less prevalent than among young SMW, ages 18-25 and ages 26-39, but similar to rates reported among SMW ages 40-54. In addition, older SMW reported significantly higher levels of self-rated mental health, compared with SMW in the other age groups, but we found no significant associations between age and self-rated physical health. Across all age groups, moderate drinkers reported better self-rated physical health than alcohol abstainers.
Overall, these results suggest that, among SMW, drinking does not decline as sharply with age as it does for heterosexual women in the general population. Given the current and projected increases in the aging population and the risks that heavy drinking presents for morbidity and mortality, interventions aimed at older SMW are needed.
鉴于心理健康和身体健康的自我认知是健康结果和幸福感的重要预测因素，尤其是在老年人中，本研究关注的是在一个性少数群体女性（SMW）样本中年龄、饮酒与自我评估的心理健康和身体健康指标之间的关联。
本研究使用 SMW 的社区样本，研究年龄、饮酒与自我评估的心理健康和身体健康之间的关联。
与年龄 18-25 岁和 26-39 岁的年轻 SMW 以及年龄 40-54 岁的 SMW 相比，55 岁及以上的老年 SMW 重度饮酒的比例较低，但与报告的 SMW 饮酒率相似。此外，与其他年龄组的 SMW 相比，老年 SMW 报告的自我评估心理健康水平显著更高，但我们没有发现年龄与自我评估身体健康之间存在显著关联。在所有年龄组中，适度饮酒者报告的身体健康状况好于戒酒者。
总体而言，这些结果表明，在 SMW 中，饮酒量的下降速度不像一般人群中的异性恋女性那样随着年龄的增长而急剧下降。鉴于当前和预计的人口老龄化增加以及重度饮酒对发病率和死亡率的风险，需要针对老年 SMW 进行干预。
