Abstract P079: Examining Associations Of Sexual Identity And Cardiovascular Disease Risk In A Nationally Representative Sample: The Mediating Role Of Sleep Duration

Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy A Caceres ◽  
Danny Vo ◽  
Yashika Sharma ◽  
Ipek Ensari ◽  
Kasey Jackman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
And Bisexual

Introduction: There is growing evidence that sexual minority (e.g., gay/lesbian and bisexual) adults have higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and report shorter sleep duration than heterosexual adults. Previous research suggests that sleep duration is inversely associated with CVD risk in adults. To date, no study has examined the associations of sleep duration and objectively measured CVD risk in sexual minority adults. Hypothesis: We investigated the hypothesis that sexual minority adults have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtr) than heterosexual adults and that sleep duration mediates these associations. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2016) were used. Sexual identity and sleep duration were assessed based on self-report. We used the average of systolic and diastolic BP across two readings to assess BP. We calculated the ratio between waist and height (in cm). We used sex-stratified linear regression models to compare CVD risk factors between sexual minority (i.e., gay/lesbian and bisexual) and heterosexual adults. Next, we used path analysis to determine whether the associations of sexual identity with systolic and diastolic BP and WHtr were mediated by sleep duration. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics and tobacco use. Results: The sample included 17,858 adults. Participants had a mean age of 38.0 (SD = 12.1), 48.4% were female, and 65.6% were Non-Hispanic White. Gay men reported higher sleep duration ( B 0.27 [0.07]) relative to heterosexual men. However, WHtr and diastolic BP did not differ between gay and heterosexual men. No differences in sleep duration or diastolic BP were found between sexual minority and heterosexual women. Bisexual women had a higher systolic BP ( B 1.64 [0.70]) and WHtr ( B 0.02 [0.01]) than heterosexual women, but these associations were not mediated by sleep duration. Compared to heterosexual men, sleep duration partially mediated the associations of sexual identity with diastolic BP ( B - 0.12 [0.05]) and WHtr ( B - 0.01 [0.01]) in gay men. Conclusion: This is the first study to assess the associations of sexual identity, sleep duration, and an objectively measured marker of CVD risk in a nationally representative sample of US adults. We found that bisexual women had higher systolic BP and WHtr than heterosexual women and that higher sleep duration was associated with lower diastolic BP and WHtr in gay men. Findings can inform future studies investigating the interplay between sexual identity, sleep duration, and CVD risk in adults.

scholarly journals Comparison of Treatment Outcomes Between Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Heterosexual Individuals Receiving a Primary Care Psychological Intervention

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine A. Rimes ◽  
Matthew Broadbent ◽  
Rachel Holden ◽  
Qazi Rahman ◽  
David Hambrook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Treatment Outcomes ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
And Bisexual

Background: Lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals experience more anxiety and depression than heterosexual people. Little is known about their comparative treatment response to psychological interventions. Aims: To compare sociodemographic/clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes across sexual orientation groups, for adults receiving primary care psychological interventions from Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services in London, adjusting for possible confounders. Method: Data from 188 lesbian women, 222 bisexual women, 6637 heterosexual women, 645 gay men, 75 bisexual men and 3024 heterosexual men were analysed from pre-treatment and last treatment sessions. Males and females were analysed separately. Results: Before treatment, lesbian and bisexual women were more likely to report clinical levels of impairment (Work and Social Adjustment Scale) than heterosexual women; there were no significant differences in depression (PHQ-9) or anxiety (GAD-7). Bisexual men were more likely to meet depression caseness than gay men but less likely to meet anxiety caseness than gay or heterosexual men. Compared with heterosexual women, lesbian and bisexual individuals showed smaller reductions in depression and impairment, controlling for age, ethnicity, employment, baseline symptoms, number of sessions and intervention type. Bisexual women experienced significantly smaller reductions in anxiety than heterosexual women and were less likely to show recovery or reliable recovery. There were no significant differences in treatment outcomes between gay, bisexual and heterosexual men. Conclusions: Reasons for poorer outcomes in lesbian and bisexual women require investigation, for example lifetime trauma or stigma/discrimination regarding gender or sexual orientation in everyday life or within therapy services.

scholarly journals Sex During Menstruation: Race, Sexual Identity, and Women’s Accounts of Pleasure and Disgust

2020 ◽  
pp. 961-984
Author(s):  
Breanne Fahs
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Identity ◽  
White Women ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Male Partners ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Heterosexual Identity ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
And Bisexual

Abstract This study analyzes qualitative interviews with 40 women across a range of age, race, and sexual orientation to examine experiences with sex during menstruation. Results show that 25 women describe negative reactions, two describe neutral reactions, and 13 describe positive reactions. Negative responses involve four themes: discomfort and labor to clean ‘messes,’ overt partner discomfort, negative self-perception, and managing partner’s disgust. Positive responses cohere around physical and emotional pleasure from sex while menstruating and rebellion against anti-menstrual attitudes. Race and sexual identity differences appear: White women and bisexual or lesbian-identified women describe more positive feelings than women of color or heterosexual women. Bisexual women with male partners describe more positive reactions than heterosexual women with male partners, implying that heterosexual identity relates to negative attitudes more than heterosexual behavior. Those with positive attitudes also enjoy masturbation more than others. Additionally, interviews address sexual and racial identities’ informing body practices, partner choice affecting body affirmation, and resistance against ideas about women’s bodies as ‘disgusting.’

scholarly journals Sexual Identity Differences in Health Care Access and Satisfaction: Findings from Nationally Representative Data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica N Fish ◽  
Rodman E Turpin ◽  
Natasha D Williams ◽  
Bradley O Boekeloo
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Care Access ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
And Bisexual

Abstract Identification of barriers to adequate health care for sexual minority populations remains elusive as they are complex and variable across sexual orientation subgroups (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual). To address these complexities, we use a U.S. nationally representative sample of health care consumers to assess sexual identity differences in health care access and satisfaction. We conducted a secondary data analysis of 12 waves (2012-2018) of the biannual Consumer Survey of Health Care Access (n=30,548) to assess sexual identity differences in 6 health care access and 3 health care satisfaction indicators. Despite parity in health insurance coverage, sexual minorities – with some variation across sexual minority subgroups and sex – reported more chronic health conditions alongside restricted health care access and unmet health care needs. Gay/lesbian females had the lowest prevalence of health care utilization and higher prevalence rates of delaying needed health care and medical tests relative to heterosexual females. Gay/lesbian females and bisexual males were less likely than their heterosexual counterparts to be able to pay for needed health care services. Sexual minorities also reported less satisfactory experiences with medical providers. Examining barriers to health care among sexual minorities is critical to eliminating health disparities that disproportionately burden this population.

scholarly journals Military service experiences and reasons for service separation among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in a large military cohort

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicia R. Carey ◽  
Isabel G. Jacobson ◽  
Keren Lehavot ◽  
Cynthia A. LeardMann ◽  
Claire A. Kolaja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Gay And Bisexual Men ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
The Military

Abstract Background The well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals is a topic of increasing concern within the military where significant institutional barriers, targeted aggression, and differential organizational policies such as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” have historically contributed to experiences of exclusion and discrimination. However, limited research has examined specific military and post-separation experiences among LGB service members and veterans. The goal of this study was to examine differences in military and service separation experiences by sexual orientation among a large representative sample of United States service members and veterans. Methods Survey data from the 2016 Millennium Cohort Study follow-up questionnaire were used to assess sexual orientation and multiple outcomes of interest: military experiences (morale, feelings about the military, missed workdays) and service separation experiences (reasons for separation, post-separation employment). The associations between sexual orientation (LGB versus heterosexual) and each of these outcomes were evaluated in a series of adjusted logistic regression models, stratified by sex when interactions were observed. Results Of the 99,599 participants, 3.4% identified as LGB. In adjusted models, LGB service members had significantly higher odds than heterosexual service members of feeling: unimpressed by the quality of unit leadership, unsupported by the military, and negative about the military overall. Bisexual women were more likely than heterosexual women to feel less unit camaraderie; both gay and bisexual men felt less camaraderie than heterosexual men. LGB veterans were more likely than heterosexual peers of the same sex to separate from service due to unplanned administrative reasons. Compared to heterosexual women, lesbian and bisexual women were more likely to separate from service due to dissatisfaction with promotions/pay and disability/medical reasons, while bisexual women specifically separated due to dissatisfaction with leadership and incompatibility with the military. Gay and bisexual men also reported separating due to incompatibility with the military, but only bisexual men were more likely to report separating due to disability/medical reasons compared to heterosexual men. Conclusions Less positive military- and separation-specific experiences disproportionately affected LGB service members in this study. Promoting inclusion and increasing support for LGB service members may improve satisfaction with military service and retention.

All change please: education, mobility and habitus dislocation

2019 ◽  
pp. 119-136
Author(s):  
Jill Wilkens
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Affinity Groups ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Positive Ageing

This chapter examines the intersection of ageing, gender, class and sexual identity, and highlights the significance of same-sexuality social groups for older lesbians and bisexual women. Interviews with 35 women aged between 57 and 73, discussed ‘coming out’ in the 1950s and 1960s, loneliness and isolation and the experience of attending affinity groups. Many participants were rendered ‘out of place’ by aspects of their social mobility, generation, gender and sexuality. The chapter draws on Bourdieu’s concept of ‘cleft habitus’ to consider the contradictions of these mobilities, suggesting that these women faced unprecedented and unique disjuncture between their original habitus and the new classed, sexual and gendered locations in which they finally ‘arrived’. The chapter looks at the potential of social groups to alleviate loneliness and isolation; for many, they are sites of resilience, helping to promote positive ageing for those who have faced marginalisation across their life course.

scholarly journals Mental health and quality of life of gay men and lesbians in England and Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 183 (6) ◽  
pp. 552-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael King ◽  
Eamonn McKeown ◽  
James Warner ◽  
Angus Ramsay ◽  
Katherine Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Heterosexual Women

BackgroundLittle is known about the mental health of gay men and lesbians living in Europe.AimsTo compare psychological status, quality of life and use of mental health services by lesbians and gay men with heterosexual people.MethodCross-sectional study in England and Wales using ‘snowball’ sampling.ResultsParticipants: 656 gay men, 505 heterosexual men, 430 lesbians and 588 heterosexual women. Gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to score above threshold on the Clinical Interview Schedule, indicating greater levels of psychological distress (RR 1.24, 95% Cl 1.07–1.43), as were lesbians compared with heterosexual women (RR 1.30, 95% Cl 1.11-1.52). Gay men and lesbians were more likely than heterosexuals to have consulted a mental health professional in the past, deliberately harmed themselves and used recreational drugs. Lesbians were more likely to have experienced verbal and physical intimidation and to consume more alcohol than heterosexual women.ConclusionsAwareness of mental health issues for gay men and lesbians should become a standard part of training for mental health professionals, who need to be aware of the potential for substance misuse and self-harm in this group and of the discrimination experienced by many lesbians.

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