https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Holloway2021

Holloway, I. W., Green, D., Pickering, C., Wu, E., Tzen, M., Goldbach, J. T., & Castro, C. A. (2021). Mental health and health risk behaviors of active duty sexual minority and transgender service members in the United States military. LGBT Health, 8(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2020.0031

This study examined differences in mental health and health risk behaviors among active-duty Service members based on their sexual identity (i.e., heterosexual or sexual minority, such as gay, lesbian, or bisexual) and gender identity (i.e., cisgender or transgender). 544 Service members selfreported their sexual and gender identities, mental health symptoms (i.e., overall mental health, suicidality, and anxiety, depressive, or posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] symptoms), health risk behaviors (e.g., hazardous alcohol use, smoking), and demographics (e.g., age, race, officer vs. enlisted status). Generally, cisgender sexual minority Service members and transgender Service members reported poorer mental health and greater health risk behaviors than cisgender heterosexual Service members.

https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2020.0031

Mental health
Substance use
Physical health
Trauma
Other

Multiple branches
Air Force
Army
Marine Corps
Navy

Active Duty

Active duty service member

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Quantitative study
Cross sectional study

Holloway, Ian W., Green, Daniel, Pickering, Chad, Wu, Elizabeth, Tzen, Michael, Goldbach, Jeremy T., Castro, Carl A.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine health risk behaviors and mental health outcomes among sexual minority and transgender active duty military service members and their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Methods: Participants (N = 544) were recruited by using respondent-driven sampling between August 2017 and March 2018 and completed an online survey by using validated measures of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidality. Bayesian random intercept multiple logistic regressions were used to understand differences between sexual minority participants and heterosexual participants as well as between transgender participants and both their cisgender sexual minority and cisgender heterosexual peers. Results: Cisgender sexual minority women service members were more likely to meet criteria for problematic alcohol use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 10.11) and cigarette smoking (aOR = 7.12) than cisgender heterosexual women. Cisgender sexual minority men had greater odds of suicidality (aOR = 4.73) than their cisgender heterosexual counterparts. Transgender service members had greater odds of anxiety, PTSD, depression, and suicidality than their cisgender peers. Conclusion: Military researchers and policymakers who seek to improve the overall health and well-being of sexual minority and transgender service members should consider programs and policies that are tailored to specific health outcomes and unique sexual minority and transgender subgroups.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc

Article
REACH Publication

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