Concerns about aging and caregiving among middle-aged and older lesbian and gay adults

Czaja, Sara J.; Sabbag, Samir; Lee, Chin Chin; Schulz, Richard; Lang, Samantha F.; Vlahovic, Tatiana; Jaret, Adrienne; Thurston, Catherine

doi:10.1080/13607863.2015.1072795

Cited by 51 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Literature that addresses homosexuality and ageing simultaneously is non-extensive and tends to fall into the following topics (Cahill & Valadéz, 2013;Czaja et al, 2015;Grossman, D'Augelli, & O'Connell, 2002;Muraco, Le Blanc, & Russell, 2008;Owen & Catalan, 2012): (a) myths and stereotypes about older lesbians and gay men; and (b) experiences of gay and lesbian seniors and their families avoiding health and social services in the community out of fear of discrimination. Scarcity of research on homosexual older people has been justified by many reasons (Berger, 1982;Berger & Kelly, 2002;Minichiello, Plummer, & Loxton, 2004): (i) gerontology, a young science, has had to deal with some of the many challenges of ageing (such as chronic disease or informal caregiving); (ii) homosexuals, in particular older ones, are still a population difficult to involve in research (mainly due to the fear of discrimination); and (iii) in general, society tends to stereotype older people as "asexual", so that the sexual orientation would be of no interest.…”

Section: Ageing and Homosexuality: The Case Of Older Gay Menmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portuguese Older Gay Men: Pathways to Family Integrity

Marques

Sousa

2016

Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto)

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Abstract:Research in the field of older gay men remains scarce. This exploratory study examines older gay men's experiences in the construction of family integrity (versus disconnection and alienation). The family integrity approach is a developmental perspective that links ego integrity to a larger process of constructing meaning within the family system. The sample comprises ten participants (from 60 to 88 years old). A semi-structured interview was conducted and submitted to content analysis. The main findings suggest three experiences in older gay men's construction of family integrity: (i) influence of homosexuality throughout life; (ii) establishing a family of choice; (iii) creating a legacy associated with homosexuality. Family integrity in older gay men seems to evolve from disclosure at a young age to making homosexuality a legacy in old age. Keywords: old age, homosexuality, family relations, identity Homens Idosos Homossexuais Portugueses: Caminhos Para a Integridade FamiliarResumo: A investigação centrada em homens idosos homossexuais ainda é escassa. Este estudo exploratório analisa especificidades da homossexualidade na construção da integridade familiar (versus desconexão ou alienação). A integridade familiar é uma perspectiva de desenvolvimento que associa a integridade do ego a um processo mais vasto de construção de significado dentro do sistema familiar. A amostra reúne 10 participantes (60-88 anos). A entrevista semi-estruturada foi administrada e submetida à análise de conteúdo. Os principais resultados sugerem três especificidades na construção da integridade familiar: (i) influência da homossexualidade ao longo da vida; (ii) formar uma família de escolha; (iii) formar um legado associado à homossexualidade. A integridade familiar em idosos homossexuais parece evoluir da divulgação (da homossexualidade) na juventude, ganhando ascendência na velhice quando a homossexualidade se torna um legado. Palavras-chave: velhice, homossexualidade, relações familiares, identidade Hombres Gay Mayores Portugueses: Vías Para Acceder a la Integridad FamiliarResumen: La investigación cuanto a los hombres gay mayores sigue escasa. Este estudio exploratorio examina especificidades de la homosexualidad en la construcción de la integridad familiar (vs desconexión o alienación). La integridad familiar es una perspectiva de desarrollo que vincula la integridad del yo con el amplio proceso de construcción de significado dentro del sistema familiar. La muestra reúne 10 participantes (60 a 88 años). Una entrevista semiestructurada fue administrada y sometida al análisis de contenido. Los hallazgos sugieren tres especificidades en la construcción de la integridad familiar: (i) influencia de la homosexualidad durante la vida; (ii) formar una familia de elección; (iii) formar un legado asociado con la homosexualidad. La integridad familiar en los hombres gay mayores parece evolucionar de la divulgación (homosexualidad) en la juventud para convertirse en un legado en la vejez.

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Section: Ageing and Homosexuality: The Case Of Older Gay Menmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portuguese Older Gay Men: Pathways to Family Integrity

Marques

Sousa

2016

Paidéia (Ribeirão Preto)

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“…Studies have shown that LGBT aging adults may feel distrust toward health and social service agencies, and avoid or delay health care for fear of discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity (Beeler, Rawls, Herdt, & Cohler, 1999;Brotman et al, 2003;Cahill, 2000;Cook-Daniels, 2006;Croghan et al, 2015;Wallace, Cochran, Durazo, & Ford, 2011). Incidents of overt homophobia or transphobia from healthcare providers toward older sexual and gender minority adults are common (Brotman et al, 2003;Cook-Daniels, 2015;Czaja et al, 2015). In one study, a respondent recalled, "when we got into the nursing home and they found out he was gay, they refunded him his money and threw him out" (Czaja et al, 2015).…”

Section: Thementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incidents of overt homophobia or transphobia from healthcare providers toward older sexual and gender minority adults are common (Brotman et al, 2003;Cook-Daniels, 2015;Czaja et al, 2015). In one study, a respondent recalled, "when we got into the nursing home and they found out he was gay, they refunded him his money and threw him out" (Czaja et al, 2015).…”

Section: Thementioning

confidence: 99%

“…LGBT aging adults also are more likely to delay seeking health care services partly due to fear of stigma and discrimination (Czaja et al, 2015).…”

Section: Lgbt Aging Adults Compared To Heterosexual Aging Adultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another respondent shared his experience of witnessing nurse aides provide sub-quality care to an older gay patient because of their homophobia (Czaja et al, 2015).…”

Section: Thementioning

confidence: 99%

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Policy recommendations to increase lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusiveness among Massachusetts assisted living communities

Quigley¹

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There is fear among LGBT aging adults that moving into an assisted living community will require them to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity.LGBT aging adults fear assisted living communities will not offer an inclusive environment that would make them feel safe and accepted. Research literature suggests several factors that have the potential to increase safe and welcoming environments for LGBT aging adults. Of those factors, creating cultural competency through education and training within an assisted living community was paramount.However, there is a knowledge gap of what best practices an assisted living community could implement in order to increase inclusiveness of LGBT aging adults. Using a multiple case study approach, this study examined three assisted living communities, including one LGBT-specific community to identify best practices.The results presented in this study revealed that the non-LGBT specific traditional assisted living communities were less prepared to care for the LGBT aging population. This claim is evident through four main themes that emerged from the interviews with staff of these two assisted living communities. The themes identified suggested a lack of awareness of LGBT challenges and a lack of knowledge in methods to increase understanding of cultural competency. Also demonstrated was an absence of understanding of the protection of LGBT aging adults and participants were unable to articulate the factors that create inclusiveness. TheLGBT-specific community was more prepared to care for the LGBT aging population and staff displayed an awareness of challenges faced by LGBT aging adults. While the community was able to articulate factors that increase understanding, there was a lack of formalized education and training programs to achieve this. Staff reported their community was inclusive due to their status of being an LGBT-specific community.

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Loneliness and Social and Emotional Support Among Sexual and Gender Minority Caregivers

Xie,

Hamadi,

Terrell

et al. 2024

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportanceSexual and gender minority (SGM) adults in the US are more likely than their non-SGM counterparts to provide informal care to their family members and/or friends. Caregiving can impose substantial physical, mental, and social connection issues on caregivers.ObjectiveTo examine the associations among loneliness, lack of social and emotional support, sexual orientation, gender identity, and informal caregiving status.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis population-based, cross-sectional study used data from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System collected from noninstitutionalized US civilian residents aged 18 years or older. Data analysis was conducted from June to July 2024.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary dependent variables included self-reported dichotomized (yes vs no) loneliness and lack of social and emotional support. The primary independent variables were sexual orientation (straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, or something else), gender identity (cisgender and transgender), and informal caregiving status (yes vs no). A binomial distribution and log link function were used to derive adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) and their respective 95% CIs for each outcome measure.ResultsThe analytic sample included 43 693 US adults (23 223 [51.6%] female at birth). In multivariable regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographic and health factors, among caregivers only, and compared with straight individuals, loneliness was significantly more likely among lesbian or gay individuals (APR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.11-1.51), bisexual individuals (APR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.12-1.43), and those who identify as something else (APR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.46). Similarly, for noncaregivers, lesbian or gay individuals (APR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.15-1.57), bisexual individuals (APR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.34-1.61), and individuals identifying as something else (APR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.25-1.58) experienced significantly higher risk of loneliness than straight noncaregivers. Transgender caregivers were more likely than cisgender caregivers to report loneliness (APR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.24-1.46). In terms of lack of social and emotional support, bisexual caregivers (APR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.00-1.48) and caregivers identifying as something else (APR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.09-1.66) were significantly more likely than straight caregivers to report a lack of social and emotional support. Similarly, both bisexual noncaregivers (APR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.28-1.63) and noncaregivers identifying as something else (APR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.18-1.61) experienced a significantly higher risk of lacking support compared with straight noncaregivers.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study of social connections, SGM adults experienced significantly higher levels of loneliness compared with straight adults, irrespective of caregiving status. Furthermore, caregiving exacerbated these disparities across SGM subgroups. Patterns of lack of social and emotional support mirrored those of loneliness across different SGM and caregiving subpopulations, with nuances emerging upon adjustment for individual characteristics.

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Concerns about aging and caregiving among middle-aged and older lesbian and gay adults

Abstract: These findings suggest needed areas of support and programs for older gay men and lesbian women. They also suggest that healthcare professionals might need more training regarding the particular needs and concerns of this community.

Cited by 51 publications

References 22 publications

Portuguese Older Gay Men: Pathways to Family Integrity

Portuguese Older Gay Men: Pathways to Family Integrity

Policy recommendations to increase lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusiveness among Massachusetts assisted living communities

Loneliness and Social and Emotional Support Among Sexual and Gender Minority Caregivers

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