The importance of older adults' health is increasing with extending lifespans. Despite a large amount of research conducted on older adults' health, little is known about sexual orientation differences. Although some studies have examined sexual orientation differences in health, many of them tended to focus on young and middle adulthood or paid little attention to life stage contexts. When studies do focus on older adulthood, they tend to focus solely on differences by sexual identity, and a very few studies have focused on reporting of same-sex contact (SSC) as a measure of sexual orientation. Using a population-based sample of older adults, the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, this dissertation focused on two major areas of comparison between SSC and non-SSC older adults that have received limited attention in past research: STDs as a sexual health outcome (Chapter 2) and alternative medicine usage as a treatment seeking behavior (Chapter 3). I argue that sexual orientation is associated with older people's health status and treatment seeking behavior. Analyses based on negative binomial regressions and propensity matching models found that older adults who report any SSC in their lifetime have higher lifetime rates of STDs and are more likely to use alternative medicine as a type of treatment seeking behavior. Primary analyses were based on negative binomial regression models, and supplemental analyses included propensity score matching models, stratified regressions, zero-inflated negative binomial regression models, sensitivity analyses, and additional tests based on alternative measures of the focal variables. These findings extend the sociological literature on sexual orientation differences in older adult health by examining outcomes of health status and treatment seeking behaviors that have previously been overlooked despite their important theoretical and policy implications. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2017. / March 6, 2017. / alternative medicine, health, older adults, quantitative analysis, sexual minority, STD / Includes bibliographical references. / Koji Ueno, Professor Directing Dissertation; Neil Charness, University Representative; Miles Taylor, Committee Member; John Taylor, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_550626 |
| Contributors | Ritter, Lacey J. (authoraut), Ueno, Koji (professor directing dissertation), Charness, Neil (university representative), Taylor, John (committee member), Taylor, Miles G., 1976- (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (degree granting college), Department of Sociology (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (92 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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