Correro Anthony N, Nielson Kristy A
Department of Psychology, Marquette University.
Department of Neurology and the Center for Imaging Research, Medical College of Wisconsin.
J Gay Lesbian Ment Health. 2020;24(1):2-19. doi: 10.1080/19359705.2019.1644570. Epub 2019 Jul 31.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults comprise a unique and growing subset of the aging population. The historical context in which they came of age was imbued with victimization and discrimination. These experiences are subjectively stressful and collectively known as minority stress. Older LGBT adults continue to face stressors related to their gender and sexual identities in their daily lives. Importantly, chronic minority stress (CMS), like other forms of chronic stress, is harmful to health and well-being. CMS contributes to LGBT health disparities, including cardiovascular disease and depression, conditions that in turn increase risk for premature cognitive decline. Furthermore, long-term exposure to stress hormones is associated with accelerated brain aging. Yet, the cognitive functioning of LGBT elders and the influence of CMS on their cognition is all but unexplored. In this review, we examine the influences of CMS in LGBT elders and connect those influences to existing research on stress and cognitive aging. We propose a testable model describing how CMS in LGBT elders heightens risk for premature cognitive aging and how ameliorating factors may help protect from CMS risk. Research is desperately needed to calibrate this model toward improving LGBT quality of life and mental health practices.
女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋和跨性别（LGBT）老年人构成了老龄化人口中一个独特且不断增长的子集。他们成年时的历史背景充满了受害和歧视。这些经历在主观上具有压力，统称为少数群体压力。老年LGBT成年人在日常生活中继续面临与其性别和性身份相关的压力源。重要的是，慢性少数群体压力（CMS）与其他形式的慢性压力一样，对健康和幸福有害。CMS导致LGBT群体的健康差异，包括心血管疾病和抑郁症，而这些疾病反过来又会增加过早认知衰退的风险。此外，长期暴露于应激激素与大脑加速老化有关。然而，LGBT老年人的认知功能以及CMS对其认知的影响几乎未被探索。在本综述中，我们研究了CMS对LGBT老年人的影响，并将这些影响与现有的关于压力和认知老化的研究联系起来。我们提出了一个可测试的模型，描述了LGBT老年人中的CMS如何增加过早认知老化的风险，以及改善因素如何有助于预防CMS风险。迫切需要进行研究来校准这个模型，以改善LGBT群体的生活质量和心理健康状况。
