Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title:  Mental Health, Sexual Identity, and Interpersonal Violence: Findings from the Australian 
Longitudinal Women's Health Study  
 
Version: 0 Date: 08 Jan 2017 
 
Reviewer:  Warren  Kealy -Bateman  
 
Reviewer’s report:  
 
This is a superb manuscript that frames important differences in sexual ident ity and then reveals 
how this is related to violence exposure subtypes and various life outcomes in the women who 
participated. The authors pause to recognise their limitations but I would suggest they have been 
extraordinarily helpful for future researche rs, health -care planners, administrators, clinicians and 
health -care consumers.  
 
 
I have three very minor suggestions:  
 
1. In the background you have used the term "intimate partner violence"  at line 24. I think you 
meant to use "interpersonal violence" ( IPV) to be consistent with the rest of your manuscript.  
 
2. Following your hypotheses and in the last paragraph of your background, which begins 
"Examining sexual minority subgroup differences, as well as...." I noted that sentence was long 
and difficult t o read.  May I humbly suggest a full stop in the middle to break it up, ie:  
 
"........which population groups are at greatest risk. This may help explain mental health 
disparities observed among sexual minority groups"  
 
3. Do you want to define "AOR" some where in the manuscript? If a clinician had poor statistical 
skills this may confuse them as they may be accustomed to seeing just "OR". I think all of the 
other abbreviations are fine.  
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being publish ed 
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I de clare that I have no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included 
on m y report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative Commons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as confidential com ments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal