Violence derived from sexual orientatio n in elderly adults
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Abstract
Introduction: People with an alternative sexual orientation to heterosexuality have suffered and continue suffering discrimination by sectors of society reluctant to accept diversity, which in certain cases, is translated into verbal or physical aggression. Socialization and heteronormative education seem to be behind, which would explain that older people (those who lived and were educated in a historical moment where society was less tolerant of affective-sexual diversity) have been victimized largely. However, the violence towards this group remains silent and we hardly have statistics that offer a reliable image of this
reality.
Objective: The objective of this work is to know what percentage of the elderly have suffered
violence due to their sexual orientation. Methodology: 449 Spaniards, between 40-70 years (M=47.21, SD=6.75), participated in this study (51.7% men, 48.3% women). In terms of orientation, 90.2% self-defined as heterosexual, 3.8% homosexual and 6% bisexual. They all completed an ad hoc questionnaire of sexual orientation and discrimination. Specifically, the discrimination was assessed through two questions: “Have you ever suffered any verbal aggression due to your sexual orientation?” and “Have you ever suffered any physical aggression due to your sexual orientation?”, both dichotomous (“Yes” / “No”).
Results: Among homosexuals, 85.7% of men and 33.3% of women have suffered verbal violence due to their sexual orientation; likewise, 21.4% of men have suffered physical assaults, compared to 0% of homosexual women. Regarding bisexual people, 18.8% of men and 9.1% of women have received verbal violence, but none would report physical aggression. Finally, the percentage of heterosexual people who reported having suffered verbal aggressions due to their sexual orientation is only 3.5% in men and 1.5% in women, and only 1% of women report physical aggression. The differences in the percentage of physical and verbal aggressions according to sexual orientation reach in both cases the level p smaller than .001. Conclusions: These results confirm the significant levels of discrimination suffered by the elderly with an alternative sexual orientation to heterosexuality, especially by homosexual men. Thus, like institutions and associations develop programs to prevent LGTBI violence in young people, victimization among older adults should be addressed too, which would minimize their psychosocial impact on this group.
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