School of Social Work, Boston College, Massachusetts.
Center for Aging Research and Education, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Gerontologist. 2018 Sep 14;58(5):904-912. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnx092.
Older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults are more likely to live alone and less likely to have children compared with their heterosexual counterparts. The lack of immediate family system can render older LGBT adults particularly vulnerable to social isolation and its consequences. The current study utilizes social exclusion theory, which asserts that not only material resources but also engagement with and inclusion into the society are necessary for marginalized people to be integrated into the mainstream. The study examines whether aging service providers (e.g., senior centers, adult day care, transportation, employment services) who are perceived by older LGBT adults as welcoming to LGBT people may reduce this population's perceived isolation.
Data were collected through a needs assessment survey designed for the aging LGBT community in North Carolina. Adults aged 45 and over who self-identified as LGBT were recruited at several formal and informal groups. The survey yielded 222 valid responses. The outcome variable was perceived isolation. Key independent variables included having experienced welcoming aging service providers and living alone.
After controlling for potential confounders and demographics, logistic regression results showed that having experienced welcoming aging service providers was a protective factor against perceived isolation and it also buffered the negative impact of living alone.
The findings provided preliminary evidence for a new direction of intervention research-targeting LGBT cultural competence training for medical and social service providers.
相较于异性恋同龄人，老年同性恋、双性恋、跨性别（LGBT）群体更可能独居，且更可能没有子女。由于缺乏直系亲属系统，老年 LGBT 群体可能特别容易受到社会孤立及其后果的影响。本研究利用社会排斥理论，该理论断言，对于边缘化人群而言，不仅需要物质资源，还需要参与和融入社会，才能将他们融入主流。本研究考察了被老年 LGBT 群体认为对 LGBT 群体友好的老年服务提供者（例如，老年人中心、成人日托、交通、就业服务）是否可以减少该群体的孤立感。
数据通过为北卡罗来纳州 LGBT 老年群体设计的需求评估调查收集。在几个正式和非正式的群体中招募了年龄在 45 岁及以上、自我认同为 LGBT 的成年人。该调查共产生了 222 份有效回复。因变量是感知孤立。主要的独立变量包括经历过欢迎 LGBT 群体的老年服务提供者和独居。
在控制了潜在混杂因素和人口统计学因素后，逻辑回归结果显示，经历过欢迎 LGBT 群体的老年服务提供者是预防孤立感的保护因素，并且它还缓冲了独居的负面影响。
研究结果为干预研究的一个新方向提供了初步证据，即针对医疗和社会服务提供者的 LGBT 文化能力培训。
