Cognitive aging in the shadow of the closet: the effects of identity concealment and discrimination

Abstract Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people tend to experience poorer cognitive health as they age; discrimination and identity concealment are common LGB experiences that carry emotional, health, and cognitive tolls. Previous research utilized data on research participants in same-sex relationships (SSR) to successfully identify a subset of LGB people and analyze their aging experiences. The present study relied on one situation in which identity concealment was legally mandated: military service. Until 2011, LGB people were banned from participating in military service in the U.S., leading to either concealment or institutionalized discrimination (i.e., discharge) for most LGB servicepeople. Using Health and Retirement Study (HRS; 1998–2016) data, this project analyzed the combined effects of veteran status and SSR on cognitive performance. Using multilevel longitudinal modelling, we found that while non-SSR veterans had higher mean scores than non-SSR civilian participants (the reference group), SSR civilians and veterans both had mean scores lower than the reference (SSR: β=-0.514, p=0.031; SSR+veteran (β=-1.065 p=0.081). These results may be limited due to the low number of SSR+veteran participants (n = 28). Nevertheless, these results suggest the potential for using veteran status among LGB people to study the health effects of identity concealment and discrimination on aging.