Psychological Distress in Older Portuguese Gay and Bisexual Men: The Mediating Role of LGBT Community Connectedness

Ribeiro-Gonçalves, José Alberto; Costa, Pedro Alexandre; Leal, Isabel

doi:10.1080/19317611.2019.1670315

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Friends allow for greater involvement in social activities, emotional protection, stigma/discrimination management support, and feelings of empowerment while sharing common vulnerabilities (Blando, 2001;Hughes, 2015;Masini & Barrett, 2008;. Thus, the phenomena of "families of choice"-families made up of friends-are being increasingly studied (Allen & Roberto, 2015;Ribeiro-Gonçalves et al, 2019), although there is very little research in this area among Portuguese older persons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Place of residence, marital status, education level, income, employment status, and living situation were measured as ordinal variables, and response categories are identified on Table 1. Sexual identity and gender were presented as open-ended questions and categorized later, as we have done in previous research (Gonçalves et al, 2019;Ribeiro-Gonçalves et al, 2019), allowing people to freely describe their identity.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LGBT community connectedness was measured using the Portuguese version of the Connectedness to the LGBT Community Scale (LGBTCC; Frost & Meyer, 2012;Ribeiro-Gonçalves et al, 2019). This unidimensional scale measures the level of affiliation/connectedness with the LGBT community.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Relatedly, rates of loneliness among older gay men regularly exceed those of comparably aged heterosexuals (Cox, 2006;Kuyper & Fokkema, 2009) and sexual and gender minority persons (Jacobs & Kane, 2012). Particularly, it is known that minority stress can contribute significantly to the highest levels of loneliness through internalized homonegativity, fear of rejection, concealment of sexual identity, and negative attitudes about same-sex relationships (Frost & Meyer, 2009;Kuyper & Fokkema, 2009;Pope et al, 2007;Ribeiro-Gonçalves et al, 2019;Thies et al, 2016). In studies using convenience samples, rates of loneliness among older gay men exceed those among older heterosexual men (Cox, 2006;Kuyper & Fokkema, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Loneliness, Social Support, and Adjustment to Aging in Older Portuguese Gay Men

et al. 2021

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Background Older LGBT adults are growing in visibility throughout the Western world. An emerging body of research reveals that this population is at greater risk for a variety of negative physical and mental health problems compared to the general population. One such problem is loneliness, which is emerging as a major public health issue around the world. Unfortunately, loneliness has not been studied in a diverse range of older LGBT people. The purpose of this study was to assess levels of loneliness, as well as possible demographic and psychosocial predictors, in a population of older Portuguese gay men. Methods Using online surveys, 110 older Portuguese gay men (mean age = 63.5) completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale for Portuguese Older Adults, Connectedness to the LGBT Community Scale and Adjustment to Aging Scale, as well as measures of support from family and friends. Results Overall, high levels of loneliness were found, particularly among those with lower education levels. Low levels of family support, friends support and connectedness to the LGBT community were all significant predictors of loneliness in the regression analyses, but adjustment to aging was not. Conclusions These findings add to the international literature on the correlates of loneliness among older sexual minorities. Such findings may inform the development of psychosocial interventions and promote healthcare engagement among older sexual minorities, which are important steps toward reducing health disparities that affect this population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Loneliness, Social Support, and Adjustment to Aging in Older Portuguese Gay Men

et al. 2021

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“…When compared to older heterosexual and cisgender people, older LGBTQIA+ people systematically show worse mental health outcomes ( 11 ); namely, more depression and anxiety ( 12 – 14 ), more emotional distress ( 15 ), less sexual and relationship satisfaction ( 16 ), more loneliness ( 17 , 18 ), and higher risk of suicide ( 19 ). Associated with these disparities may be factors that accentuate vulnerability, such as living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection ( 20 , 21 ) and stigma internalization ( 22 , 23 ).…”

Section: Lgbtqia+ Older People: Who Are They?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Successful Aging Among Older LGBTQIA+ People: Future Research and Implications

Pereira

Banerjee²

2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Loneliness mediates the association of minority stress and depression in sexual and gender minority populations in Thailand

Kittiteerasack

Matthews

Steffen

2022

Research in Nursing & Health

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Loneliness is a significant risk factor for depression in adults. Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are at risk for loneliness and depression due to stigma and discrimination. However, little is known about the influences of loneliness on the mental health of SGM populations. Guided by the Minority Stress and Integrative Mediation Frameworks, the authors aimed to examine loneliness's direct and indirect effects on the relationships between minority stressors and depression among Thai SGM adults. Data were drawn from a larger cross-sectional survey. Standardized measures of minority stressors (discrimination, victimization, identity concealment, and internalized sexual stigma), loneliness, and depression were selected and translated by expert panels. A convenience sample was recruited, and data were collected using online and in-person methods. Participants (N = 411, M = 29.5 years) were primarily male (90.5%), gay (79.3%), and cisgender (76.6%). More than 40% of participants reported clinically significant levels of loneliness (M = 38.59, standard deviation [SD] = 11.11) and depression (M = 9.46, SD = 8.43). Discrimination, identity concealment, and internalized sexual stigma were directly associated with loneliness (all p < 0.05). Minority stressors were significantly related to depression through indirect associations via loneliness accounting for 33%-54% of the total effect. Indirect effects (95% confidence interval) were 0.25 [0.12, 0.40] for discrimination, −0.41 [−0.67, −0.18] for identity concealment, and 0.42 [0.06, 0.79] for internalized sexual stigma. Loneliness was prevalent and played a mediating role in the associations between minority stressors and depression. Study findings have implications for the development of intervention research.

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Psychological Distress in Older Portuguese Gay and Bisexual Men: The Mediating Role of LGBT Community Connectedness

Cited by 17 publications

References 25 publications

Loneliness, Social Support, and Adjustment to Aging in Older Portuguese Gay Men

Loneliness, Social Support, and Adjustment to Aging in Older Portuguese Gay Men

Successful Aging Among Older LGBTQIA+ People: Future Research and Implications

Loneliness mediates the association of minority stress and depression in sexual and gender minority populations in Thailand

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