RISK AND RESILIENCE: HIGHLIGHTING MINORITY STRESS IN A LIFESPAN SAMPLE OF SEXUAL MINORITIES

Abstract

Abstract Older sexual minorities (OSM), or those older adults sexually attracted to the same sex, are at risk for poorer well-being, which is rooted in the stresses of being marginalized. There is limited knowledge on how older age contextualizes the minority stress process. OSM have witnessed more stigmatized sociopolitical climates, yet report less minority stress compared with younger adults, which may be due to having accrued lifetime practice with stigma. The current study explores age differences in the daily experiences of minority stress in a sample of sexual minorities stratified across the lifespan. Data from a baseline sample of 355 sexual minorities (ages 18-90) confirmed previous research that OSM experienced lower minority stress compared with their younger counterparts (p<.05). Additionally, an age-stratified subset of this sample (N=112; ages 19-79) answered daily surveys for 3 weeks (N=1,923). Using multilevel modeling, we found that older age moderated the daily stress-distress relationships between outness disclosure and positive affect (B=-.005, p<.05); internalized homonegativity and positive affect (B=.004, p <.05) and negative affect (B=-.005, p<.05), and experienced microaggressions and negative affect (B=.007, p<.05). OSM had weaker relationships among four different daily minority stressors and worse daily well-being. There also was support that the associations between age and minority stress were partially mediated by lifelong exposure with marginalization. This project highlights the intersection of sexuality and aging and emphasizes the unique resilience of OSM. The results of this study inform both theory and practice and contribute to a better understanding of how to address OSM’ health disparities.