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Objectives: To compare the mental health status of early adult and mid‐life Australian women according to sexual orientation.

Methods and sample: Cross‐sectional analyses of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) surveys for the younger (22–27 years) and mid‐age (50–55 years) cohorts. Women were classified into one of four groups: exclusively heterosexual, mainly heterosexual, bisexual and lesbian. Regression analyses were used to examine the effects of sexual orientation on mental health after adjusting for age, region of residence and education and to assess the potential mediating roles of stress, abuse and social support.

Results: Younger, mainly heterosexual, bisexual and lesbian women had poorer mental health outcomes than exclusively heterosexual women on all outcome measures except anxiety in lesbian women, even after …