Abstract: Minority Stress Among Active Duty LGBT Service Members (Society for Social Work and Research 23rd Annual Conference - Ending Gender Based, Family and Community Violence)

Schedule:

Friday, January 18, 2019: 4:30 PM

Golden Gate 5, Lobby Level (Hilton San Francisco)

* noted as presenting author

Jeremy Goldbach, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Carl Castro, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Ian W. Holloway, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Purpose: In the general population, LGBT people experience stress related to their sexual orientation and gender expression known as minority stress, which suggests that societal oppression and chronic victimization lead to significant distress for LGBT people and result in poorer mental health outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms and suicide, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use and abuse). Given this knowledge, the experiences of LGBT service members may be distinctly different from their non-LGBT military counterparts yet remain largely unexplored. While now allowed to serve openly, a better understanding of the experiences of LGBT service members as well as their unique social service needs is necessary.

Methods: In this presentation, we present on results of a mixed methods DOD-funded study on understanding the unique needs of LGBT service members. Life history calendar interviews (LHC; N=50) with active duty LGBT service members were conducted lasting 90-120 minutes, transcribed verbatim and entered into the qualitative software program, nVivo, for analysis. All interviews were coded by two doctoral level students and the first author, and consensus was reached. This resulted in a 58-item military minority stress experiences checklist (MSEC). The MSEC was distributed to LGBT service members (N=213) in a national online survey.

Results: Service members report a variety of stressful experiences related to their military service. These included experiences of physical violence, verbal harassment for being LGBT, hyper-masculinity, and discrimination against their family unit. Stressors were more commonly reported among transgender service members. For example, 84% of transgender service members expressed concern about military policies changing that would discriminate against them, compared to 66% for LGB service members (p=.008), and 73% stated that members of their unit have made negative comments about LGBT service members, compared to 60% of LGB service

Implications: Minority stress experiences among LGBT service members are common. These factors appear related to connectedness to the military and an interest in a long-term military career. Recommendations made by service members for improvements to DOD policy and practice will be discussed.