- Title
- Components of Internalized Homophobia, Self-Disclosure of Sexual Orientation to Physician, and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Completion in Older Gay Men
- Author
- Mostade, S. Jeffrey
- Degree
- PHD, Kent State University,
College of Education / Department of Adult, Counseling, Health and Vocational Education, 2004.
- Advisor
- John D West
- Pages
- 209p.
- Abstract
- Older gay men may experience significant stressors additional to the normative effects of aging: stigma, discrimination, and internalized homophobia. These additional minority stressors may affect the health choices of gay men as they age. The purpose of this study was to explore the health care choices of older gay men through an examination of age cohort, two components of internalized homophobia, self-disclosure of sexual orientation to physician, and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPAHC) completion in a sample of 105 gay men 65 years of age and older (range = 65–87). The study used Chi square, t-test, and logistic regression to explore the variables. Results of the study indicated that: (a) gay men 65 years and older who had self-disclosed their sexual orientation to their physicians were more likely to have completed a DPAHC, (b) gay men 65 years and older who disclosed showed a lower discomfort with gay identity than non-disclosers, (c) gay men 75 years of age and older who disclosed their sexual orientation to their physician also showed lower discomfort with gay identity than those who had not disclosed, (d) gay men 65 years and older who disclosed their sexual orientation to their physician were 3.89 times more likely to have completed a DPAHC than those individuals who had not disclosed their sexual orientation to their physician, (e) gay men 75 years of age and older were 2.75 times more likely to have completed a DPAHC than gay men 65–74 years of age, (f) increased discomfort with gay identity was associated with a 44% decreased likelihood of disclosure of sexual orientation to their physician for each one unit increase in the score on the Discomfort with Gay Identity component, and (g) participants completing a DPAHC were 3.92 times more likely to self-disclose their sexual orientation to their physician than those who had not completed a DPAHC.
- Subject Headings
- Education, Guidance and Counseling
- Keywords
- sexual orientation; aging; gay aging; internalized homophobia; advance directives; homosexuality; disclosure
Document number: kent1100874865.
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