Mental Health and Health Risk Behaviors of Active Duty Sexual Minority and Transgender Service Members in the United States Military.

Abstract

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\u2009=\u2009544) 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]\u2009=\u200910.11) and cigarette smoking (aOR\u2009=\u20097.12) than cisgender heterosexual women. Cisgender sexual minority men had greater odds of suicidality (aOR\u2009=\u20094.73) 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.