Military Service Members’ Satisfaction With Outness: Implications for Mental Health

• DOI: 10.1177/0095327X17751111
• Published date: 01 January 2019
• Date: 01 January 2019
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Military Service Members’

Satisfaction With Outness:

Implications for Mental

Health

Wyatt R. Evans

1,2

, Sebastian J. Bliss

3,4

,

Christina M. Rincon

5

, Scott L. Johnston

6

,

Jagruti P. Bhakta

7

, Jennifer A. Webb-Murphy

7

,

Peter Goldblum

3

and Kimberly F. Balsam

3

Abstract

This study is among the first examining lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) service

members in the United States following the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy repeal.

Higher levels of outness predict better mental health among general LGB popula-

tions. The military environment, like other traditional/conservative settings, may

alter this relation; however, no data are available on outness among LGB service

members in the United States. We examined 236 service members’ level of outness

and satisfaction with outness in relation to depression and anxiety symptoms.

Results revealed greater level of outness was related to higher satisfaction with

outness, with each variable related to better mental health. Importantly, satisfaction

fully mediated the relation between level of outness and mental health, indicating

satisfaction to be a more salient predictor than level alone. Findings relevant to

1

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Fort Hood, TX, USA

2

National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division, Menlo Park, CA, USA

3

Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, USA

4

VA Northern California, Martinez, CA, USA

5

Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Anchorage, AK, USA

6

Naval Special Warfare Group One, San Diego, CA, USA

7

Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, CA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Wyatt R. Evans, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio,

36000 Darnall Loop, 3rd Floor South, Office 3022, Fort Hood, TX 76544, USA.

Email: evanswr@uthscsa.edu

Armed Forces & Society

2019, Vol. 45(1) 140-154

ªThe Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X17751111

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