UNDERSTANDING THE DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL RESOURCES AMONG SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY OLDER ADULTS

Despite the growing number of recent studies on the positive role of social resources on health and well-being among SGM older adults, the multi-dimensional construct of social resources has not been examined due to a lack of adequate measures and data. This study describes the rationale behind the measurements of social resources used in the National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (NHAS). We analyze NHAS data collected in 2014 (N = 2,450) to assess the reliability of these social resource measurements. Out of 28 indicators of social resources (α = .82), three distinct factor structures emerged: relational social connectedness (α = .71), collective social connectedness (α = .82), and perceived social connectedness (α = .79). All item-rest correlations for each scale were moderate to strong. The scales could be used to understand various aspects of social resources and its role in enhancing health and well-being in the historically marginalized populations.