José Alberto Ribeiro-Gonçalves, Dora Pereira, Pedro Alexandre Costa, Isabel Leal
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Population ageing raises major public health and psychosocial challenges. Particularly, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) older people may face increased vulnerabilities and marginalization when compared to their non-LGB (heterosexual) counterparts, which may entail more risks for their mental health. The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the levels of protective - social support, spirituality, and resilience and stress factors - loneliness and ageism - among LGB and non-LGB older adults, and their impact on psychological distress (PD).
Method: A sample of 647 people aged 60 years or older (M = 66.01; SD = 4.93) was collected, 368 non-LGB and 279 LGB. Participation was carried out through an online survey in Portugal.
Results: LGB older adults had lower scores on all protective factors, except on social support from friends, and higher levels on all stress factors, except on hostile ageism, compared to non-LGB older adults. Further, resilience and loneliness were the main predictors of PD regardless of the sexual orientation. Stress factors explained the levels of PD over and above the effects of protective factors, both among LGB and non-LGB older adults.
Conclusion: Psychological distress in aging presents different protective and stressful factors according to the sexual orientation of older adults. More comparative studies are suggested in the intersection between ageing and sexual orientation.
期刊介绍:
Aging & Mental Health provides a leading international forum for the rapidly expanding field which investigates the relationship between the aging process and mental health. The journal addresses the mental changes associated with normal and abnormal or pathological aging, as well as the psychological and psychiatric problems of the aging population. The journal also has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary and innovative approaches that explore new topics and methods.
Aging & Mental Health covers the biological, psychological and social aspects of aging as they relate to mental health. In particular it encourages an integrated approach for examining various biopsychosocial processes and etiological factors associated with psychological changes in the elderly. It also emphasizes the various strategies, therapies and services which may be directed at improving the mental health of the elderly and their families. In this way the journal promotes a strong alliance among the theoretical, experimental and applied sciences across a range of issues affecting mental health and aging. The emphasis of the journal is on rigorous quantitative, and qualitative, research and, high quality innovative studies on emerging topics.