研究顯示性少數女性比異性戀女性早死26%

Life Crisis for Sexual Minority Women: a Shocking Study Reveals the Truth About Premature Deaths

2024年5月1日，一項由哈佛大學陳曾熙公共衛生學院及其合作機構進行的研究揭露了一個令人不安的現實：自認為是雙性戀或女同性戀的女性，比異性戀女性更早離世。這項研究的結果發表在《JAMA》雜誌上，並於4月25日在Medical Xpress上發表了一篇專題報導，引起了公眾的廣泛關注。

研究人員分析了護理師健康研究II的數據，該研究包括了超過10萬名女性護理師，並追踪了她們近30年的死亡記錄。結果發現，性少數女性的平均早逝率高出26%。更具體地說，雙性戀女性的早逝率高出37%，而女同性戀女性則高出20%。

這項研究的主要作者、博士後研究員Sarah McKetta解釋說，LGBTQ群體面臨的恥辱、偏見和歧視導致了長期的壓力和不健康的應對機制，這些因素最終導致了健康狀況的惡化和過早死亡。她強調，與性取向相關的死亡率不平等凸顯了解決可預防原因的迫切需要，尤其是在美國對LGBTQ人群日益不利的政策環境下。

Brittany Charlton, the study's senior author and an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, expressed concern about the more pronounced premature mortality among bisexual women. She points out that bisexual women face pressures not only from outside the LGBTQ community, but also from within the community that stem from fear of bisexuality. Additionally, bisexuals are often excluded from communities because of their partner's gender, and this exclusion exacerbates their feelings of isolation.

Co-authors of the study also include Landon Hughes, Sebastien Haneuse and Bryn Austin of the Harvard Chan School of Business. Their work provides us with an important lens to better understand the health challenges faced by sexual minorities and motivates us to take action to improve the quality and longevity of their lives.

The findings of this study are a strong call for all of us - whether policymakers, health care providers, or the community at large - to work together to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against sexual minorities and create a more inclusive and healthy and create a more inclusive and healthy social environment. Only then can we truly achieve health equity and give everyone the opportunity to live long and fulfilling lives.

- LAU KIT LUN

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