The effect of discrimination and resilience on depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older men who have sex with men.

Abstract

This study investigated the associations between homophobic and racist discrimination and increased depressive symptoms among 960 middle-aged and older men who have sex with men (MSM) and how resilience moderated these relationships. We used five waves of longitudinal data from the Healthy Aging substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). We used linear regression analyses to model depressive symptoms as a function of discrimination. We used linear mixed analyses to model changes in mean

Psychometric assessment of a homophobia management scale among cisgender sexual minority men in midlife and older adulthood.

“…Together, these domains facilitate individuals’ abilities to adapt and overcome in the face of stressors. This scale has been validated with midlife and older adult MSM (Brown et al, 2022; Meanley, Haberlen, et al, 2020). All items were scored on a 7-point Likert scale (0 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree ) and yielded high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .96).…”

Promoting Resilience among Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada: An Examination of Facilitators and Challenges from a Social Determinants of Health Perspective

“…It is very important to note that most prior research that has been conducted to explicitly focus on and examine resilience to HIV/AIDS, specifically among middle-aged and older MSM, has utilized quantitative and statistical methods that employ surveys and scales to measure constructs that researchers themselves have identified, chosen, and used to approximate the concept of resilience to HIV/AIDS [3,22,25,38]. To the best of our knowledge, in the past decade, only a few scholars have purposively made efforts to not only include the direct input of relevant community stakeholders to define the concept of resilience to HIV/AIDS and guide their research, but also examine the perspectives and lived experiences of middle-aged and older MSM, so as to gain a more in-depth understanding of factors that impact their resilience to HIV/AIDS [17].…”

Disparities in depression and anxiety related to sexual orientation and gender identity among older adults: The role of age discrimination.

“…These disparities are especially pronounced for gender minority older adults compared to cisgender older adults (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Cook-Daniels, et al, 2014). Although SGM stressors have been identified as risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes among SGM older adults (Brown et al, 2022; Fredriksen-Goldsen, Emlet, et al, 2013; Fredriksen-Goldsen, Simoni, et al, 2014; Fredriksen-Goldsen et al, 2015; Lytle et al, 2018; White Hughto & Reisner, 2018), SGM stressors alone do not explain the mental health disparities affecting SGM older adults. Prior research has found that age discrimination is a risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes among older adults (Garstka et al, 2004; Han & Richardson, 2015; Kessler et al, 1999; Vogt Yuan, 2007), including SGM older adults (Lytle et al, 2018; White Hughto & Reisner, 2018).…”

“…The predominant conceptual framework for explaining the mental health disparities affecting SGM people is the minority stress model (Brooks, 1981;Meyer, 2003;Testa et al, 2015), which posits that SGM people experience unique stressors related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SOGI; e.g., discrimination) and these unique stressors contribute to their poorer mental health compared to cisgender-heterosexual people. Building upon the minority stress model, the health equity promotion model (Fredriksen-Goldsen, Simoni, et al, 2014) emphasizes how combinations of social positions, including SOGI and age (among others), can influence experiences of marginalization and health.…”

“…Consistent with the minority stress model, studies have demonstrated that SOGI-related discrimination is associated with poorer mental health among SGM older adults (Brown et al, 2022;Fredriksen-Goldsen, Emlet, et al, 2013;Fredriksen-Goldsen, Simoni, et al, 2014;Fredriksen-Goldsen et al, 2015;Lytle et al, 2018;White Hughto & Reisner, 2018). However, discrimination and other forms of minority stress do not fully account for the mental health disparities affecting SGM older adults, and it is also important to consider factors that people of all sexual orientations and gender identities experience as potential mechanisms underlying mental health disparities affecting SGM people.…”