Sexual orientation and mental health: a review [Orientation sexuelle et santé mentale : une revue de la littérature ]

International audienceBACKGROUND: The aim of this paper is to review available knowledge on sexual orientation and mental health, especially for women. METHODS: Papers published in English or French, between 1997 and 2007, were selected in PubMed using the following keywords "homosexuality/sexual orientation and mental health/depression/suicide". To be retained, papers had to contain findings from quantitative surveys comparing homosexual and heterosexual adults. In all, this review analyses 22 papers including two that are based on the same survey. RESULTS: This review found a general pattern of poorer mental health for homosexuals and even more so for bisexuals compared to heterosexuals. Results are especially consistent regarding elevated risk of suicide attempts

Ils et elles : parcours professionnels, travail et santé des femmes et des hommes : actes du séminaire Âges et travail, mai 2009

Les recherches sur les relations entre âges et travail qui pointent les enjeux de santé et d'expérience au fil du parcours professionnel ignorent encore largement la dimension du genre. Pourtant, les études statistiques ou épidémiologiques constatent et parfois analysent les disparités et ressemblances entre les résultats concernant les femmes et les hommes. Pourtant, des travaux de démographes, d'économistes, de sociologues démontrent qu'une analyse sexuée des itinéraires est indispensable

Violence against women and suicide risk : the neglected impact of same-sex sexual behaviour

We used data from the National Survey on Violence against Women in France carried out in 2000 on a representative sample of 6970 women to compare the social characteristics of women who had sex with women (WSW) and women who had sex only with men (WSM). The WSW were more likely to be of a high socio-economic level and living in large cities. They were more frequently unmarried, without children, and had a more diverse sexual life, generally beginning younger, with more partners, mainly men. They were also more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs. WSW reported more physical violence in the recent past and more suicide attempts than WSM, despite a lack of difference in psychological distress and stress. These results, in a field little studied in France, are consistent with international findings attesting to the difficulties faced by women in situations involving autonomy and marginality

Violence against women and suicide risk: The neglected impact of same-sex sexual behaviour

We used data from the National Survey on Violence against Women in France carried out in 2000 on a representative sample of 6970 women to compare the social characteristics of women who had sex with women (WSW) and women who had sex only with men (WSM). The WSW were more likely to be of a high socio-economic level and living in large cities. They were more frequently unmarried, without children, and had a more diverse sexual life, generally beginning younger, with more partners, mainly men. They were also more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs. WSW reported more physical violence in the recent past and more suicide attempts than WSM, despite a lack of difference in psychological distress and stress. These results, in a field little studied in France, are consistent with international findings attesting to the difficulties faced by women in situations involving autonomy and marginality.Women Homosexuality Violence France Suicide Same-sex sexual behaviour

[Women who have sex with women: their sexual biography, reproductive health and experience with violence]

OBJECTIVE: To compare sociodemographic characteristics, sexual and reproductive biographies and experience of violence according to the fact that women have or have not had homosexual relationship. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From the national survey on violence against women in France carried out in 2000 by phone, two groups have been compared: 78 women who have had at least one woman sexual partner and 6332 women who have had only male partners during lifetime. RESULTS: Women who have had sexual relationships with women more often have high level social positions and live in large cities. They have a more diverse sexual life that they begin younger and more partners, mainly men. They use contraception less often. They have more sexually transmitted infections and are more often tested for HIV. They visit gynaecologists as often as other women. They are more often victims of violence, especially physical violence as adults. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These results, in an understudied field in France, are consistent with findings from the international literature. They attest to the difficulties women may be confronted with in situations where autonomy and marginality are combined. Doctors need to be better informed about the diversity of their trajectories in order to provide appropriate medical care

Fair law, unfair practices? Benefiting from protective legislation for pregnant workers in Italy and France

Protective Maternity Legislation (PML) for pregnant workers is well established in Italy and France, but little is known about the way it fulfils some of its aims, such as the protection of mothers' and babies' health and of the rights of women workers. In this paper, we present the results of two surveys, one carried out in Italy and the other in France, concerned with the implementation of these regulations. Results show that women who were regularly employed generally could benefit from PML, while non-eligible workers, most of them holding manual jobs, were not protected at all. Among eligible workers, inequalities existed: women with less qualified jobs and those employed in the private sector were less likely to benefit from the protective measures considered. A number of specific measures, such as the possibility of taking an early maternity leave for work reasons and of being moved to another job within the same firm were underused in both countries. Some limitations of PML are discussed, namely the fact it covers some but not all pregnant workers, that it ignores domestic work and the tendency to remove the pregnant worker rather than to modify her working conditions.pregnant workers social inequalities Protective Maternity Legislation Italy and France