Loneliness Perceptions in Older Portuguese Gay and Bisexual Men

Pereira, Henrique; Vries, Brian de; Esgalhado, Graça; Serrano, Juan Pedro

doi:10.1080/00918369.2021.1901504

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Loneliness is a subjective feeling of perceiving discordance between the desired and actual degree of social connectivity [1]. Research has found that loneliness is prevalent among sexual-minority individuals [2][3][4][5][6][7]. Loneliness in sexual-minority individuals may develop in several ways different from that in heterosexual individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

Lin

Tsai

Fan

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The UCLA Loneliness Scale, with different short versions, is widely used to assess levels of loneliness. However, whether the scale is valid in assessing loneliness among sexual-minority men is unknown. Additionally, it is unclear whether the 8-item and 3-item short versions are comparable to the full 20-item version. The present study compared the validity of the three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (i.e., 20-item, 8-item, and 3-item versions) among gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. The participants comprised 400 gay and bisexual men in Taiwan who completed a cross-sectional online survey, which included the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate factorial validity. Convergent validity was examined between the three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the CES-D and STAI. Known-group validity was investigated with participants’ sexual orientation and educational levels. The unidimensional construct was supported in all three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale tested in the present study. Convergent validity was supported as the level of loneliness was correlated with the level of depression and anxiety for all three versions. There were no significant differences between gay and bisexual men, although significant differences were found across different educational levels. The study confirmed that all three versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale were comparable with satisfactory reliability and validity in Taiwanese sexual-minority men.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric Evaluation of Three Versions of the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Full, Eight-Item, and Three-Item Versions) among Sexual Minority Men in Taiwan

Lin

Tsai

Fan

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…For older sexual minority men (OSMM), in addition to stigma associated with their sexual orientation status, they also face stigma associated with aging related to changes in physical functioning and social roles, since older individuals are seen as no longer contributing to the development of society; this creates increased feelings of loneliness, helplessness, devaluation, and low self-esteem [8][9][10]. Ultimately, this double stigma will impair their successful aging [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Social Support, Positive Identity, and Resilience in the Successful Aging of Older Sexual Minority Men

Pereira

Silva

2021

Geriatrics

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The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between social support, positive identity, and resilience and the successful aging of older sexual minority men. The study involved having 210 self-identified gay and bisexual men aged between 50 and 80 years complete a cross-sectional online survey comprised of sociodemographic information; the Portuguese version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support; the Lesbian, Gay, and multifactor Bisexual Positive Identity Measure; the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale 10; and the Successful Aging Perceptions Scale. The results showed that self-identified gay participants showed higher levels of positive identity, while bisexual participants scored higher for resilience, mental health, and successful aging. Higher levels of social support, resilience, and positive identity were significant predictors of mental health (28%), physical health (18%), and successful aging (10%) in our sample. These results offer similarities with the growing body of literature on the positive factors of successful aging in the gay and bisexual men communities, which is an important step in the development of aging and health preventive initiatives among this population.

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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%