Researchers say bisexual and lesbian women die earlier than straight women.
A study by the Pilgrim Healthcare Institute found that bisexual women die 37% earlier than straight women, and lesbian women die 20% earlier. Scientists say this is likely due to the harmful social stigma women face regarding their sexuality.
“Disparities in mortality rates related to sexual orientation highlight the urgent need to address preventable causes, especially given the hostile political climate toward LGBTQ people in the United States.” Harvard University Pilgrim Sarah McKetta, lead author and researcher at the Healthcare Research Institute, said in a press release
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| The study said lesbian women are 20% more likely to die sooner. |
"These harmful social forces create chronic stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms, making this population more susceptible to poor health and early death," Macchetta explained.
The authors of a study published in the journal JAMA said bisexual women feel excluded from both the straight and LGBTQ communities.
"Bisexual women face a variety of stressors from both outside and within the LGBTQ community that are rooted in biphobia. Additionally, bisexual people are often excluded from various communities." said lead author Brittany Charlton, associate professor of population medicine at Harvard Medical School. Harvard University Pilgrim Her Health Care Institute.
"The greater prevalence of premature mortality among bisexual women is concerning and highlights the need for targeted interventions to reduce these disparities across all sexual minority groups." added Mr Charlton. The researchers used data from more than 100,000 female nurses born between 1945 and 1964 as part of a study called the Nurses' Health Study II.
Study participants were asked about their sexual orientation in 1995, and researchers tracked their sexual orientation after death using 30 years of death certificates.
They said women who are exposed to social pressure and chronic stress are more likely to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms, which can lead to early death.
The study authors suggested that sexual minority women should receive more testing for health problems, as well as evaluations and treatment referrals for tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. They also said doctors need to be culturally knowledgeable and trained on how to properly treat sexual minority patients. They said the fact that the study participants were nurses and may have received more care than the general population may have skewed the data. Still, the results "are surprising in their own right," the researchers said.
"Future research will investigate the specific factors that exacerbate or reduce these risks so that targeted interventions can be developed to ensure that everyone has the chance to live a long and healthy life." "There is a need," the doctor said. Charlton.
“It is imperative that we address the systems and structures that undermine the well-being and dignity of LGBTQ people,” Chartton continued.
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