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Review
. 2023 Jun:102:102283.
doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102283. Epub 2023 Apr 23.

Probable PTSD, PTSD symptom severity, and comorbid PTSD and hazardous drinking among sexual minority women compared to heterosexual women: A meta-analysis

Jillian R Scheer  1 , Emily C Helminen  2 , Cory J Cascalheira  3 , Virinca Jaipuriyar  4 , Thomas J Shaw  5 , Sasha Zabelski  6 , Kriti Behari  4 , Sophia Pirog  4 , Abigail W Batchelder  7 , Kyle Possemato  8 , Tonda L Hughes  9 , Tami P Sullivan  10
Affiliations
Review

Probable PTSD, PTSD symptom severity, and comorbid PTSD and hazardous drinking among sexual minority women compared to heterosexual women: A meta-analysis

Jillian R Scheer et al. Clin Psychol Rev. 2023 Jun.

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more prevalent among sexual minority women (SMW) than among heterosexual women. PTSD risk varies among SMW, but no meta-analysis has clarified sexual identity-related disparities in probable PTSD among women or SMW's heterogeneity in PTSD risk. SMW are also at pronounced risk of comorbid PTSD and hazardous drinking (HD). However, the difference in comorbid PTSD/HD between SMW and heterosexual women is understudied. This meta-analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of differences between SMW and heterosexual women and among SMW across demographic characteristics. Peer-reviewed publications that were written in English and reported quantitative data on PTSD specific to SMW were included. Eligible publications (n = 45) were identified through a systematic search of 11 electronic databases, supplemented by a search of reference lists of relevant papers. We found that probable PTSD, PTSD symptom severity, and probable comorbid PTSD/HD are highly prevalent among SMW, with SMW of color, transgender and gender diverse people, and bi+ women (e.g., bisexual, pansexual, queer) being at greatest risk. These results emphasize the need to improve accurate assessment of trauma-related sequelae among SMW and to develop, disseminate, and implement culturally sensitive treatments to reduce PTSD and comorbid PTSD/HD among at-risk SMW.

Keywords: Comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and hazardous drinking; Meta-analysis; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Sexual minority women; Trauma exposure.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow Diagram for Including Studies in this Meta-Analysis
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of SMW with Probable PTSD Note. SMW = sexual minority women; RE = random effects; CI = confidence interval; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparisons between SMW and Heterosexual Women for Proportion with Probable PTSD (A) and PTSD Symptom Severity (B) Note. SMW = sexual minority women; HET = heterosexual women; SMD = standardized mean difference; RE = random effects; CI = confidence interval; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder. Positive SMD values in Panel B indicate higher symptom severity for SMW compared to heterosexual women.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparisons between SMW of Color and White SMW for Proportion with Probable PTSD (A) and PTSD Symptom Severity (B) Note. SMW = sexual minority women; POC = sexual minority women of color; SMD = standardized mean difference; RE = random effects; CI = confidence interval; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder. Positive SMD values in Panel B indicate higher symptom severity for SMW of color compared to White SMW.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparisons between Bi+ SMW and Gay/Lesbian SMW for Proportion with Probable PTSD (A) and PTSD Symptom Severity (B) Note. SMW = sexual minority women; SMD = standardized mean difference; RE = random effects; CI = confidence interval; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder. Positive SMD values in Panel B indicate higher symptom severity for bi+ SMW compared to gay/lesbian SMW.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Comparisons between Transgender and Gender Diverse People and Cisgender SMW for Proportion with Probable PTSD (A) and PTSD Symptom Severity (B) Note. SMW = sexual minority women; SMD = standardized mean difference; RE = random effects; CI = confidence interval; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder. Positive SMD values in Panel B indicate higher symptom severity for transgender and gender diverse people compared to cisgender SMW.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Comparisons between SMW and Heterosexual Women for Proportion with Probable PTSD/HD Note. SMW = sexual minority women; HET = heterosexual women; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder; HD = hazardous drinking.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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