Kontakt 2025, 27(1/2025):68-73 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2025.008

Examining the variances in well-being among LGBTQ+ older adults across diverse living environments in SloveniaSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Mihael Nedeljko1, Barbara Toplak Perović1, Jason D. Flatt2, Boris Miha Kaučič1, 3, *
1 Alma Mater Europaea University, Research Institute of Social Gerontology, Maribor, Slovenia
2 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health, Las Vegas, NV, USA
3 Institute for Training, Work and Care dr. Marijan Borštnar Dornava, Slovenia

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) older adults experience long-term minority stress due to societal norms that lead to discrimination and stigma. The purpose of the research was to compare the differences in subjective psychological well-being among LGBTQ+ older adults according to their living environment.

Methods: A purposive sample comprising 318 LGBTQ+ older adults was recruited for the quantitative survey. In the initial stage, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted. To examine the aim of the study, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed, followed by a post hoc analysis to identify any variations in the perception of well-being based on the living environment.

Results: Significant differences in well-being among LGBTQ+ older adults across living environments were observed for three items (p < 0.05): WB1 - ... I feel cheerful and in good spirits, WB2 - ... I feel calm and relaxed and WB4 - ... I wake up feeling fresh and rested. With post hoc analysis, we showed statistically significant differences in the perception of subjective psychological well-being according to the three living environments.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate significant variations in subjective psychological well-being among LGBTQ+ older adults across different residential settings in Slovenia. While these findings may not generalise to other settings, further research using larger samples and in other EU countries should explore the role of living environments on LGBTQ+ older adults' subjective psychological well-being.

Keywords: LGBTQ+ older adults; Living environment; Rural areas; Urban areas; Well-being
Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: July 19, 2024; Revised: January 4, 2025; Accepted: February 7, 2025; Prepublished online: February 11, 2025; Published: February 27, 2025  Show citation

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Nedeljko M, Toplak Perović B, Flatt JD, Kaučič BM. Examining the variances in well-being among LGBTQ+ older adults across diverse living environments in Slovenia. Kontakt. 2025;27(1):68-73. doi: 10.32725/kont.2025.008.
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