ABSTRACT

Lesbian women and gay men are at greater risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than heterosexual people, however few studies have examined PTSD in older lesbian women and gay men. This study examined predictors of having ever been diagnosed with PTSD, as well as relationships to current quality of life, among 756 lesbian women and gay men aged 60 years and older in Australia. Participants were surveyed on their sociodemographic characteristics, experiences of sexual orientation discrimination over their lifetime, whether they had ever been diagnosed with PTSD, whether they were currently receiving treatment for PTSD, and their current quality of life. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, participants who reported having a PTSD diagnosis (11.2%) had significantly more frequent experiences of discrimination over their lifetime and were significantly less likely to currently be in a relationship. Older lesbian women were significantly more likely than older gay men to report ever having had a PTSD diagnosis. Additionally, having ever been diagnosed with PTSD significantly predicted current poorer quality of life. These findings suggest that a history of PTSD among older lesbian women and gay men is linked to experiences of discrimination and other factors, with associated links to current quality of life.

摘要

与异性恋者相比，女同性恋者和男同性恋者患创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 的风险更大，但很少有研究检查老年女同性恋者和男同性恋者的 PTSD。这项研究检查了澳大利亚 756 名 60 岁及以上的女同性恋和男同性恋者曾被诊断出患有 PTSD 的预测因素，以及与当前生活质量的关系。参与者接受了关于他们的社会人口特征、一生中的性取向歧视经历、他们是否曾经被诊断出患有创伤后应激障碍、他们目前是否正在接受创伤后应激障碍治疗以及他们目前的生活质量的调查。在调整了社会人口学变量后，报告有 PTSD 诊断的参与者 (11. 2%）在其一生中遭受歧视的频率明显更高，并且目前处于恋爱关系中的可能性明显降低。与年长的男同性恋者相比，年长的女同性恋者报告曾被诊断为 PTSD 的可能性要大得多。此外，曾经被诊断出患有 PTSD 可以显着预测当前较差的生活质量。这些研究结果表明，老年女同性恋者和男同性恋者的 PTSD 病史与歧视经历和其他因素有关，并与当前的生活质量相关。