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Comfort among older lesbian and gay people in disclosing their sexual orientation to health and aged care services

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
  • Anthony Lyons
  • Beatrice Alba
  • Andrea Waling
  • Victor Minichiello
  • Catherine Barrett
  • Mark Hughes
  • Karen Fredriksen‐Goldsen
  • Samantha Edmonds
  • Christopher A. Pepping
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>28/02/2021
<mark>Journal</mark>Journal of Applied Gerontology
Issue number2
Volume40
Number of pages10
Pages (from-to)132-141
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date1/06/20
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Being comfortable in disclosing one’s sexual orientation to health and aged care providers is important for older lesbian and gay adults, given that nondisclosure is associated with poorer health and well-being outcomes. In a sample of 752 lesbian and gay adults aged 60 years and older living in Australia, we found only 51% of lesbian women and 64% of gay men felt fully comfortable to disclose their sexual orientation to health and aged care service providers. For both the women and the men, those who felt fully comfortable to disclose reported significantly less internalized homophobia; had fewer experiences of discrimination in the past year; and reported greater lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community connectedness. Feeling fully comfortable was also predicted by fewer experiences of lifetime discrimination among the men. These findings may help those seeking to assist older lesbian and gay people in feeling comfortable and being open with health and aged care service providers.