Community-Based Support To Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing in Older Sexually and Gender Diverse People: A Scoping Review

Date
2023-10-19
Authors
Gasteiger, Chiara
Collens, Paula
Du Preez, Elizabeth
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Abstract

Objectives This scoping review seeks to identify what community-based support is used by older sexually and gender diverse (SGD) people, that aims to improve mental health/wellbeing.

Methods A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley framework. APA PsycInfo, Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Scopus were searched. Key information was extracted and entered into a structured coding sheet before being summarized.

Results Seventeen studies were included (41% observational qualitative and 35% observational quantitative). The most commonly used community-based support was lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) social groups. A range of practices were reported in five studies, including in SGD affirming religious congregations and mind-body practices. Two studies reported the use of formal programmes, with one based on a group initiative. Positive outcomes included feeling connected, improved social support and mental health, and coping with illness. Five studies reported null or negative findings, including a lack of acceptance. Most studies used categories for sex and gender inaccurately, and lacked detail when describing community-based support.

Conclusion The use of community-based support by older SGD people is underexplored. More interventions designed for and by this community are needed, along with experimental research to draw conclusions on effectiveness to improve mental health or wellbeing.

Description
Keywords
LGBT , Older adults , aging , mental health , scoping review , 4203 Health Services and Systems , 4206 Public Health , 42 Health Sciences , 44 Human Society , Mental Health , Behavioral and Social Science , 7.1 Individual care needs , 7 Management of diseases and conditions , Generic health relevance , 3 Good Health and Well Being , 11 Medical and Health Sciences , 16 Studies in Human Society , 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences , Geriatrics , 42 Health sciences , 44 Human society , 52 Psychology
Source
Aging and Mental Health, ISSN: 1360-7863 (Print); 1360-7863 (Online), Taylor and Francis Group, 28(4), 692-700. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2023.2269097
Rights statement
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.