Assessing the combined effect of ageism and sexuality-related stigma on the mental health and well-being of older lesbian and gay adults

Objective: Relatively little research has examined ageism among older lesbian and gay adults. In this study, we investigated how ageism, as well as sexuality-related stigma, relate to mental health and well-being in these groups. Method: Six hundred and thirteen lesbian women and gay men aged 60+ in Australia completed a nationwide survey. We investigated how experiences of ageism, concerns about having one’s sexual orientation accepted by others (as one broad indicator of sexuality-related stigma), and their interactions, predict psychological distress, positive mental health, and resilience. Results: Among the lesbian women, experiences of ageism predicted greater psychological distress and lower positive mental health, while sexuality acceptance concerns predicted poorer outcomes on all three well-being measures. Among the gay men, experiences of ageism and sexuality acceptance concerns predicted poorer outcomes on all the well-being measures. In addition, the gay men who were higher on sexuality acceptance concerns had higher psychological distress and lower resilience, but only when they also had greater experiences of ageism. Conclusion: Findings suggest that those concerned with the well-being of lesbian and gay people should account for not only the potential impact of sexuality acceptance concerns but also ageism, and how these two factors may interact.