There is very little research focused on older bereaved lesbians. This study is a response to the lack of knowledge about the issues for older lesbians who lose a partner. We examined bereavement issues for 55 older lesbians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Gerontol Soc Work
August 2016
Previous literature has consistently discussed reoccurring issues with conducting research in the gay and lesbian community and, for the purposes of this article, particularly the older lesbian community. Issues with sampling, including gaining access, ethical considerations, and conceptual definitions are ongoing struggles repeated within the literature. This article provides the experience of a research team in conducting such research and presents the viable solutions and ongoing barriers, as well as newer considerations that future research must take into account.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlder lesbians are, at minimum, a triple threat of marginalization due to ageism, heterosexism, and sexism. A national survey specific to this often-invisible population has not occurred in over 25 years. The present study was completed to reveal the needs, strengths, and experiences of the current cohort of older lesbians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn response to the very limited and mostly outdated literature on older lesbian sexuality, this exploratory study examined older lesbian sexual identity, romantic relationships, the impact of aging, and experiences of discrimination within these contexts. Utilizing an online survey that recruited via numerous online lesbian communities and snowball sampling, 456 lesbians over the age of 50 responded to closed, Likert scale, and open-ended questions that provided a preliminary understanding of older lesbian sexuality. The results indicated that older lesbians have experienced fluidity in past romantic and sexual relationships, as well as in erotic fantasies, despite strong identification with being lesbian.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGuided by previous studies and the community assets perspective, a concurrent mixed-method case study was conducted five years after a devastating flood to investigate how invisible community assets played a role in Princeville's rebuilding process from the flood of 1999. The independent variables in this study included retrospectively assessed elected leadership, community cohesion, and depression. The dependent variables were the perceived financial recovery to the pre-disaster level and the current emotional status.
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