A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research Literature and a Thematic Synthesis of Older LGBTQ People's Experiences of Quality of Life, Minority Joy, Resilience, Minority Stress, Discrimination, and Stigmatization in Japan and Sweden

Anna Sofia Bratt; Ann-Christine Petersson Hjelm; Matilda Wurm; Richard Huntley; Yoshihisa Hirakawa; Tsukasa Muraya

doi:10.3390/ijerph20136281

A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research Literature and a Thematic Synthesis of Older LGBTQ People's Experiences of Quality of Life, Minority Joy, Resilience, Minority Stress, Discrimination, and Stigmatization in Japan and Sweden

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jul 3;20(13):6281. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20136281.

Authors

Anna Sofia Bratt¹, Ann-Christine Petersson Hjelm², Matilda Wurm³, Richard Huntley¹, Yoshihisa Hirakawa⁴, Tsukasa Muraya⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, 35195 Växjö, Sweden.
² Department of Business Studies, Commercial Law, Uppsala University, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden.
³ School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, 70281 Örebro, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Public Health and Health Systems, Nagoya University, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
⁵ Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 815-8540, Japan.

Abstract

There is a lack of research on older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) adults. This systematic review aimed to synthesize Japanese and Swedish qualitative research on LGBTQ adults aged 60 years or older following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Japanese and Swedish articles, published in English, were searched across ASSIA, CINAHL, Medline, PsychINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Sociological Abstracts databases. Additional searches were conducted to include studies in Japanese or Swedish. There were no papers from Japan, whereas five from Sweden were reviewed. One article was excluded due to the wrong phenomenon. Four articles were included, involving 48 participants aged 60-94 years. We summarized the findings using a deductive thematic synthesis. Two major themes emerged: (a) quality of life, minority joy, and resilience (positive aspects), and (b) discrimination, stigmatization, and minority stress (negative aspects). The participants wished to be acknowledged for their own assets and unique life histories, and to be treated as everyone else. They emphasized the importance of knowledge of LGBTQ issues among nursing staff, so that older LGBTQ people are treated in a competent and affirmative way. The study revealed several important topics for understanding older LGBTQ adults' life circumstances and the severe lack of qualitative studies in Japan and Sweden.

Keywords: aged; aging; quality of life; sexual and gender minorities; social discrimination; stereotyping.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Female
Humans
Japan
Qualitative Research
Quality of Life
Sexual and Gender Minorities*
Stereotyping*
Sweden

Grants and funding

This research was funded by MIRAI2.0—Joint seed funding of Japan–Sweden collaborative projects, grant number 2022 and 2023; Intsam travel grant; the Uppsala University travel grants. The KAJIMA Foundation, 2023, Japan.