Primary Submission Category: LGBTQ+
Social Networks, Access to Affirming Healthcare, and the Health and Well-Being of LGBT Elders in the U.S. South
Authors: Randi Saunders Tara McKay
Presenting Author: Randi Saunders*
Background: Experiences of discrimination in healthcare settings contribute to health disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations, through delays in care or inadequate provision of care. Access to inclusive and affirming health care is critical for addressing numerous health disparities experienced by LGBT populations. Access to an affirming provider is associated with higher odds of having received preventative care, including key health screenings and immunizations (McKay et al. 2023), and greater adherence to plans of care. However, affirming providers can be difficult to identify and LGBT adults often rely on informal networks to identify health resources (Kitzie 2021), including affirming providers.
Question: How do the social networks of LGBT elders shape their engagement with LGBT-affirming healthcare? Does access to affirming care mediate the relationship between social networks and health among LGBT elders?
Data/Methods: This study uses data from Wave 1 of the Vanderbilt University Social Networks, Aging, and Policy Study (VUSNAPS), a panel study examining health and aging experiences among older (aged 50-76 years) LGBT adults in the U.S. South. Logistic regressions were used to predict the relative odds of having an affirming care provider and reporting good health. OLS regressions were used to predict depression scores based on a 6-item scale. Models considered network factors such as size, LGBT homophily, network density, outness, and social integration.
Preliminary Findings: Both outness and social integration predict higher odds of having an LGBT-affirming healthcare provider. Outness mediates the link between LGBT homophily and having an affirming provider. Outness and social integration both predict higher odds of self-reported good health, and outness, social integration, and having an affirming provider predict lower depression scores. Having an affirming provider mediates the link between LGBT homophily and depression.