Archived

This content is available here strictly for research, reference, and/or recordkeeping and as such it may not be fully accessible. If you work or study at University of Kentucky and would like to request an accessible version, please use the SensusAccess Document Converter.

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8788-0693

Date Available

5-1-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

Psychology

Faculty

Dr. Rachel H. Farr

Faculty

Dr. Mike Bardo

Abstract

Despite a lifetime of systematic barriers, LGBTQ+ individuals age into late adulthood, likely due to various protective factors. Guided by the Iridescent Life Course Framework (ILCF; Fredriksen-Goldsen & Muraco, 2019), I analyzed unique protective factors at two levels: (1) individual psychological factors (i.e., resilience, identity management) and (2) community-level factors (i.e., LGBTQ+ community connectedness, social support). Health was operationalized as mental health, physical health, and health-promoting behaviors. The present study accounted for covariates (i.e., financial barriers to healthcare, felt subjective age discrepancy, lifetime discrimination). I hypothesized that both stronger individual and community factors would be associated with better physical and mental health and more engagement in health-promoting behaviors among older LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. Additionally, I hypothesized that age cohorts (i.e., individuals between 55-64 years old, those 65 and older) would present significant group differences across protective factors, such that younger cohorts would present greater community-level protective factors. The sample included 95 LGBTQ+ adults aged 55 years and older that lived in the U.S. Results displayed that resilience and social support were significant positive predictors of physical and psychological well-being, beyond what was explained by relevant covariates, like subjective age discrepancy and financial barriers to healthcare. Resilience was a significant positive predictor of engagement in health-promoting behaviors, after relevant factors were accounted for as covariates. Contrary to expectations, there were no significant differences between age cohorts in terms of individual or community-level protective factors. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.21

Funding Information

This study was supported by the University of Kentucky's Committee on Social Theory Grant in 2024.

Download

Share

COinS