Physical Health Characteristics of Student Service Members and Veterans By Sexual Orientation

Background/Purpose:  Research has shown that in response to societal imposed stigma and discrimination, individuals who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) may experience negative physical health (Frost, Lehavot, & Meyer, 2015; Lick, Durso, & Johnson, 2013).  Results of these studies also report a need to explore the differences and experiences of physical health among varying LGB populations. In this study, we used secondary data from a national sample to explore the physical health characteristics by sexual orientation, among student service members and veterans (SSM/V).  Little is known about the health status of SSM/V enrolling in higher education in great numbers. This study contributes to the gaps in literature by exploring the physical health needs of the rapidly growing SSM/V population; and contributes to the developing knowledge base related to sexual orientation and physical health.

Methods: Data for this study came from the American College Health Association (ACHA), Fall 2011 National College Health Assessment (NCHA) II. The full sample included 27,774 students who voluntarily responded from 44 post-secondary institutions.  Three percent of the sample reported active involvement or a history of service in the U.S. Armed Forces resulting in a sample of 702 SSM/V for inclusion in this study.

Twenty-five physical health diagnosis or symptoms were included in this analysis. Sample demographics descriptors including age, gender, race, level in school, marital status, GPA, history of hazardous deployment and physical health characteristics were calculated using descriptive statistics. To compare demographics and physical health characteristics by sexual orientation, two-sample proportion means tests were used.

Results:  In the 25 measures of physical health, LGB SSM/V reported statistically higher incidences of diagnosis or treatment in 19 categories including:  Allergies, asthma, bronchitis, chlamydia, ear infection, genital herpes, genital warts/HPV, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B or C, high cholesterol, HIV, migraine headache, mononucleosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, repetitive stress injury, sinus infection, strep throat, tuberculosis, and urinary tract infection.  Differences by sexual orientation were not statistically significant for back pain, broken bone/fracture/sprain, diabetes, endometriosis, high blood pressure, or irritable bowel syndrome.

Conclusions/Implications: This study begins to fill a gap identified by scholars who study LGB and SSM/V populations. There is a need for research related to understanding the health behaviors and health of SSM/V and LGB populations. Findings from this study support the need for research that explores the relationship between sexual orientation and physical health.  Further, considering the rapidly growing population of SSM/V on college campuses, our findings show a need for campus health officials and policymakers to develop services to address the physical health needs of this population that may differ from their peers. 

References

American College Health Association (ACHA, 2012). ACHA - National College Health Assessment. American College Health Association. Hanover, MD.

Frost, D. M., Lehavot, K., & Meyer, I. H. (2015). Minority stress and physical health among sexual minority individuals. Journal of behavioral medicine, 38(1), 1-8.

Lick, D. J., Durso, L. E., & Johnson, K. L. (2013). Minority stress and physical health among sexual minorities. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8(5), 521-548