Violence and related health outcomes in sexual and gender minority communities

A new special issue of the peer-reviewed journal LGBT Health, titled “Violence and Related Health Outcomes in Sexual & Gender Minority (SGM) Communities,” is based on a multi-phase scientific workshop sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Click here to read the issue now.

In the introduction to the special issue, Sarah Whitton, PhD, from the University of Cincinnati, and coauthors, note that SGM people are particularly likely to experience violence. The authors highlight the high-priority areas of research needed, as identified by working groups from the NIH-sponsored workshop.

In the article titled “Bullying Involvement at the Intersection of Gender Identity/Modality, Sexual Identity, Race, Ethnicity, and Disability: Prevalence Disparities and the Role of School-Related Developmental Assets,” Samantha Lawrence, PhD, from the University of Minnesota, and coauthors, report that adolescents with multiple marginalized social positions (e.g., sexual identity, gender identity/modality) and those lacking certain school-based assets were involved in bullying at higher-than-average rates. The investigators concluded that schools need “to address intersecting experiences of stigma and structural oppression that may perpetuate bullying involvement disparities.”

Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, PhD, from the University of Washington, Seattle, and coauthors, examine lifetime violence, lifetime discrimination, and microaggressions among LGBT adults aged 50 and older in the article titled “Lifetime Violence, Lifetime Discrimination, and Microaggressions in the Lives of LGBT Midlife and Older Adults: Findings from Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study.” The investigators conclude that the findings of their study illustrate that “most LGBT midlife and older adults (nearly three-quarters) have experienced lifetime violence and discrimination as they continue to also encounter contemporary experiences of microaggressions.” Greater risk of adverse experiences was noted for particular subgroups, “especially among sexually diverse adults, gay and bisexual men, and transgender midlife and older adults.”

Aliya Webermann, PhD, from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and coauthors, examine the prevalence of military sexual trauma (MST) by sexual orientation, characteristics of sexual minority and heterosexual veterans who have experienced MST, and associations between sexual orientation and mental health symptoms among veterans who have experienced MST. The investigators found that the prevalence of MST was higher among sexual minority veterans compared to heterosexual veterans, with bisexual/pansexual/queer veterans having the highest prevalence (22.7%), followed by gay/lesbian (17.0%), and heterosexual (6.5%) veterans. Sexual minority veterans who experienced MST were more likely than heterosexual veterans to screen positive for lifetime and current posttraumatic stress disorder and current drug use disorder, according to the researchers.

“The scientific workshop sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, together with the present collection of articles, call attention to the pressing issue of violence and its impacts on the health of sexual and gender minority communities, and identify gaps and priority areas for future studies,” says LGBT Health Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PhD, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY.

About the Journal
LGBT Health, published 8 times a year online with open access options and in print, facilitates and supports the work of researchers, clinicians, academics, and policymakers to address barriers to care and advance efforts to improve the health, wellbeing, and clinical outcomes of all LGBT and other sexual and gender minority persons. Led by Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PhD, Columbia University, New York, NY, the Journal spans a broad array of disciplines and publishes original research, review articles, clinical reports, case studies, and legal and policy perspectives. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the LGBT Health website.

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a global media company dedicated to creating, curating, and delivering impactful peer-reviewed research and authoritative content services to advance the fields of biotechnology and the life sciences, specialized clinical medicine, and public health and policy. For complete information, please visit the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.