Table 1.
Estimated Distributions of Key Study Measures for Sexual Minoritya Adults in the NESARC-III by Age Categories
| Variable Categories | Age categories | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age ≥ 50 years (overall sample) | Age 50–64 years | Age ≥ 65 years | |
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |
| Past-year any TUD** | 221 (15.8) | 179 (19.8) | 42 (9.3) |
| Past-year moderate-to-severe TUD** | 127 (8.1) | 106 (10.9) | 21 (3.6) |
| Lifetime ethnic/racial discrimination and sexual orientation discrimination scale (0–96), mean (SE)† | 4.4 (0.3) | 5.6 (0.4) | 2.4 (0.3) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 579 (47.4) | 377 (49.0) | 202 (44.8) |
| Female | 679 (52.6) | 434 (51.0) | 245 (55.2) |
| Sexual orientation** | |||
| Heterosexual-identified with same-sex attraction and/or behavior | 897 (73.9) | 543 (68.6) | 354 (82.4) |
| Lesbian/gay-identified | 184 (14.4) | 146 (17.9) | 38 (8.5) |
| Bisexual-identified | 96 (5.9) | 73 (7.6) | 23 (3.2) |
| Not sure | 81 (5.9) | 49 (5.9) | 32 (5.9) |
| Race/ethnicity** | |||
| White | 813 (80.6) | 479 (76.7) | 334 (86.8) |
| African American | 233 (10.9) | 183 (13.9) | 50 (6.2) |
| Hispanic | 131(8.5) | 93 (9.4) | 38 (7.0) |
| Educational attainment** | |||
| High school degree or less | 489 (37.8) | 282 (32.4) | 207 (46.7) |
| Some college | 255 (18.7) | 177 (20.7) | 78 (15.6) |
| College degree or higher | 514 (43.5) | 352 (47.0) | 162 (37.7) |
| Urbanicity | |||
| Urban | 1,058 (80.7) | 687 (80.8) | 371 (80.5) |
| Rural | 200 (19.3) | 124 (19.2) | 76 (19.5) |
| Geographic region | |||
| Northeast | 225 (21.6) | 136 (21.0) | 89 (22.5) |
| Midwest | 249 (19.7) | 160 (20.1) | 89 (19.0) |
| South | 408 (31.2) | 272 (32.0) | 136 (29.8) |
| West | 376 (27.6) | 243 (26.9) | 133 (28.7) |
| Social support scale (0–36), mean (SE) | 28.1 (0.2) | 28.2 (0.3) | 27.9 (0.3) |
| Relationship status** | |||
| Married/cohabitating | 475 (52.0) | 308 (51.5) | 167 (53.0) |
| Widowed | 162 (11.2) | 47 (4.9) | 115 (21.6) |
| Divorced | 283 (17.4) | 197 (19.4) | 86 (14.2) |
| Separated | 65 (3.8) | 52 (4.9) | 13 (2.0) |
| Never married | 273 (15.5) | 207 (19.3) | 66 (9.2) |
| Religiosity/spirituality | |||
| Very important | 787 (59.7) | 508 (58.6) | 279 (61.4) |
| Somewhat important | 284 (24.7) | 185 (26.0) | 99 (24.7) |
| Not very important | 94 (7.4) | 57 (6.5) | 37 (9.0) |
| Not important at all | 92 (8.3) | 61 (9.0) | 31 (7.1) |
| Stressful life events** | |||
| None | 400 (33.8) | 206 (26.7) | 194 (45.6) |
| 1–2 | 579 (46.0) | 368 (45.7) | 211 (46.5) |
| 3+ | 267 (20.1) | 229 (27.6) | 38 (8.0) |
| Any past-year DSM-5 anxiety disorder* | |||
| No | 1,047 (83.6) | 657 (81.2) | 390 (87.5) |
| Yes | 211 (16.4) | 154 (18.8) | 57 (12.5) |
| Any past-year DSM-5 mood disorder* | |||
| No | 1,069 (87.2) | 664 (84.6) | 405 (91.5) |
| Yes | 189 (12.8) | 147 (15.4) | 42 (8.5) |
Notes. DSM-5 = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition; NESARC-III = National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III; TUD = tobacco use disorder. The Rao–Scott chi squares were calculated from the bivariate analysis of the variables, accounting for the complex survey features of the NESARC-III. The p values are calculated by survey design-based F test of significance.
aSexual minorities defined as lesbian/gay-identified, bisexual-identified, heterosexual-identified people with same-sex attraction and/or behavior, and those who were not sure about their sexual identity.
Rao–Scott chi–squared test: *p < .01, **p < .001. Wald F test: †p < .001.