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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Well-Being Among Older Gay and Bisexual Men and Women in England: A Cross-sectional Population Study

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Objectives: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) older people present an under-represented population in research, with limited research citing higher prevelance of depression, loneliness, rejection, and overall poorer health and well-being outcomes. Our study compares well-being, defined as quality of life, life satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and depression, among LGB people with their heterosexual peers'. Design: Cross-sectional population study using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA), a representative panel study of older adults aged 50 and older. Setting and Participants: Data were from ELSA wave 6, collected 2012-2013. A total of 5691 participants were included in the analysis, with 326 (5.7%) self-identifying as LGB. Measures: Well-being was measured using CASP-19, a quality of life questionnaire; the Satisfaction with Life Scale for life satisfaction; and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for depressive symptoms. Sexual satisfaction was assessed using the question “During the past three months, how satisfied have you been with your overall sex life?” In addition, t test and chi-square tests were used to test differences in sociodemographic characteristics between LGB and heterosexual participants. Bivariate logistical regression and linear regression were used to test associations between sexual orientation and well-being outcomes. Results: In unadjusted models, LGB participants reported significantly lower mean quality of life and life satisfaction, and had significantly lower odds of reporting satisfaction with their overall sex life and higher odds of reporting depressive symptoms above threshold. After adjustment for sociodemographic and health-related covariates, there remained significant differences between LGB and heterosexual groups in mean quality of life scores (B = −0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.87 to −0.06, P =.037) and odds of sexual satisfaction (odds ratio = 0.56, 95% CI 0.38-0.82, P =.003). Conclusions/Implications: LGB older people report lower quality of life and lower sexual satisfaction than their heterosexual counterparts, possibly associated with a number of unwanted social experiences. © 2019 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine