![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
Abstract
This study examines the effect of stressors and support resources among aging gay men and lesbian women who are caring for their families, both biological families and chosen families. Forty-five percent (N = 155) of the gay men and lesbians in a large study of caregiving were providing some type of caregiving assistance. Lesbian and bisexual women were twice as likely to provide caregiving to biological family, usually a parent, than gay and bisexual men. Results show that gender, strain and family expectations are predictors of greater burden for caregivers, regardless of the care recipient. However, buffering effects of support resources vary by caregiving situation; availability of support was not a significant predictor for family of origin caregivers, but the availability of emotional support predicted lower levels of burden for family of choice caregivers. These findings have implications for health and social care providers as well as public policies that need to be responsive to the unique needs of lesbians and gay men and their families.