1. Exploring Resilience Among Midlife and Older Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Adults: A Multidimensional Analysis.
- Author
-
Nelson CL
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Middle Aged, Aged, Social Support, Optimism psychology, Mental Health, Adult, Depression psychology, Resilience, Psychological, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Heterosexuality psychology
- Abstract
Research on resilience in sexual minority midlife and older adults is limited. Using a multidimensional approach, this study examined trait resilience (optimism), resilience as a dynamic process (perceived control), and relational resilience (social support), analyzing their roles in physical and mental health among sexual minority adults. Analyzing data from MIDUS 2 and MIDUS Refresher, we examined a sample of 492 participants, comprising 164 sexual minority and 328 propensity-matched heterosexual individuals. Among sexual minority participants, perceived control was associated with fewer chronic conditions and optimism with lower depressed affect. Among heterosexual participants, perceived control was associated with both outcomes. Subgroup analyses found variations, particularly among lesbian and bisexual women. Resilience measures were not associated with the health outcomes for gay or bisexual men. This study highlighted the complex roles of trait resilience and dynamic resilience processes in association with health outcomes among sexual minority midlife and older adults across diverse subgroups., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
- Published
- 2024
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