Gender and Sexual Minorities’ Intergenerational Connection: Considerations for Wellness, Generativity, and Minority Stress in Older Age

Intergenerational connectionmay help to reduce social isolation, increasewellness, improve quality of life, and promote a sense of generativity for older adults. However, little is known about intergenerational connection among gender and sexual minority (GSM) older adults regarding both the structure and function of these relationships. The current study seeks to (a) compare intergenerational connection among GSM and cisgender, heterosexual older adults; (b) test whether intergenerational connection plays a role in loneliness, mental health, quality of life, generativity, and minority stress; and (c) test whether GSM identity moderates the relationships between intergenerational connection and these outcomes. In total, 153 adults ages 55+were recruited to complete a one-time survey on intergenerational connection and wellness. GSM individuals did not differ significantly on intergenerational connection when compared to cisgender, heterosexual respondents, except they were less likely to have children (χ2= 20.043, p,.001). Intergenerational connection was a significant predictor of loneliness (F= 6.257, df= 4, p,.001), quality of life (F= 7.649, df= 4, p,.001), and generativity (F= 9.762, df= 4, p,.001) for both GSMand cisgender, heterosexual respondents; GSM identity was not a significant moderator in these models. Notably, intergenerational connection significantly contributed to the variance of internalized stigma for GSM respondents (F= 4.885, df= 3, p=.004). These results suggest that intergenerational programming would benefit older adults broadly and may play a unique role in interrupting minority stress processes for GSM individuals.