MILITARY SERVICE AND THE LIFE COURSE

Abstract

Depression is a leading cause of disability globally. Transgender older adults experience depression and serve in the U.S. military at disproportionality high rates. Military service has been implicated in mental health outcomes, yet there is scant empirical evidence relating military service to transgender mental health, particularly in relation to identity stigma. Cross-sectional data has limited our understanding of the directional relationship between identity stigma and mental health. Using longitudinal data we examined temporal relationships between these factors among transgender older adults with and without prior military service. We used weighted multivariate linear models to evaluate the relationships between previous military service, identity stigma, depressive symptomology, and psychological health related quality of life (HRQOL) among a subsample of transgender older adults (n = 183) from Waves 1 and 2 of the Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, Sexuality & Gender Study.Over time, Identity stigma was significantly associated with HRQOL only for those without prior military service. Regardless of military service history, changes in depressive symptomatology predicted changes in HRQOL. The U.S. recently joined 18 other countries in allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the military. This study provides new insights into the roles of military service and identity stigma in the long-term mental health of transgender older adults, and highlights within-group heterogeneity. As such, it contributes to promoting resilience and better mental health outcomes for both of transgender older adults and current and future transgender service members – tomorrow’s transgender older adults. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.