Trajectories of Depressive Symptomatology and Loneliness in Older Adult Sexual Minorities and Heterosexual Groups

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This article examines whether sexual minority men and women experience greater increases in depressive symptoms and loneliness with age compared to heterosexual men and women.

Methods: Using three waves of data from sexual minority (n_Men = 87 and n_Women = 62) and heterosexual (n_Men = 1,297 and n_Women = 1,362) older adults in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, we used latent growth curve modeling to test whether change in depressive symptoms and loneliness varies across sexual orientation and whether annual household income and family support accounted for this change.

Results: Although differences in the growth trajectories of depressive symptoms and loneliness across sexual orientation were not observed, gender differences were. Annual household income and family support more strongly influenced initial depressive symptoms and loneliness in sexual minority men and women than in heterosexual men and women.

Conclusions: Trajectories of depressive symptoms and loneliness in older adulthood do not vary by sexual orientation. Economic and family resources may allow sexual minorities to cope effectively with depressive symptoms and loneliness.

Clinical Implications: Clinicians should be cautious about assuming that older sexual minority group members are more susceptible to depressive symptoms and loneliness than heterosexual groups by virtue of their sexual preference.

Clinical implications

1. Clinicians should be cautious about assuming that sexual minority groups’ clinical presentation of depressive symptoms and loneliness is different by virtue of their sexual preference.

2. Women may experience unique forms of stress that explain higher self-reported depressive symptoms and loneliness.

3. Support characteristics, like financial resources and family support, should be considered when conducting case conceptualizations of sexual minority men and women.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging [T32AG000037].