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.

中文翻译：

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葡萄牙老年男同性恋者的孤独感，社会支持和年龄调整

背景

在整个西方世界，年龄较大的LGBT成年人的知名度正在提高。一项新兴的研究表明，与普通人群相比，该人群面临各种负面身心健康问题的风险更大。这样的问题之一就是孤独感，孤独感已成为世界范围内的主要公共卫生问题。不幸的是，尚未对各种各样的LGBT老年人研究孤独感。这项研究的目的是评估葡萄牙老年男同性恋者的孤独感水平，以及可能的人口统计学和社会心理预测因子。

方法

通过在线调查，有110位葡萄牙老年男同性恋者（平均年龄= 63.5）完成了UCLA葡萄牙老年人的孤独感量表，与LGBT社区量表的联系度和对老龄化量表的调整，以及家人和朋友的支持量度。

结果

总体而言，孤独感很高，尤其是那些受教育程度较低的孤独感。在回归分析中，低水平的家庭支持，朋友支持和与LGBT社区的联系都是孤独感的重要预测因素，但对衰老的适应性却不是。

结论

这些发现为国际上有关老年性少数群体孤独感相关性的文献增色。这些发现可能会为社会心理干预的发展提供信息，并促进老年性少数群体之间的医疗保健接触，这是减少影响这一人群的健康差距的重要步骤。