{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:38:18Z","timestamp":1760150298040,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,3]],"date-time":"2023-11-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1698969600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia (FCT)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SFRH\/BD\/143214\/2019"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SFRH\/BD\/143214\/2019"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Social Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Research shows that successful development of sexual identity is essential for healthy and well-adjusted ageing. Gay and bisexual (GB) older people have experienced cumulative events throughout their lives that may have affected the development of their identity. In addition, the few previous studies show an alarming lack of community connectedness among older GB people in Portugal. This study assessed the factors that have contributed to the development of sexual identity in Portuguese GB older adults throughout their lives, using an inductive qualitative cross-sectional approach based on Life Course Theory. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were carried out with older (60+ years) GB people living in the community and using the lifeline technique. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis with a codebook approach. Results suggest a multifactorial contribution of factors throughout the life cycle that have affected the development of GB older people\u2019s sexual identity. These include historical\u2013cultural factors (e.g., sexual repression and traditionalism of the dictatorship), psychosocial factors (e.g., cumulative sexual stigma), relational factors (e.g., relational clandestinity) and intrapersonal factors (e.g., concealment of sexual orientation). The existence of the Internalized Sexual Minority Disconnectedness phenomenon and its contribution to the formation of the sexual identity of older GB adults were also verified. These results reveal important clues about the development of older GB people in Portugal and the factors that may be affecting the current invisibility of these people in the social and health-related context. Relevant implications for the clinical context are also discussed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/socsci12110615","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,3]],"date-time":"2023-11-03T10:59:54Z","timestamp":1699009194000},"page":"615","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["A Life Course Approach on Older Portuguese Gay and Bisexual People: The Multifactorial Development of Sexual Identity"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4983-4770","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Alberto","family":"Ribeiro-Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"William James Center for Research (WJCR), Ispa\u2014University Institute, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Gouveia-Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Psychology Research Center Capabilities & Inclusion (APPsyCI), Ispa\u2014Instituto Universit\u00e1rio, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1766-4818","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Renato Gomes","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Secretary for Education, Science and Technology, 9050-048 Madeira, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9826-9881","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro Alexandre","family":"Costa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Psychology of University of Porto, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1672-7912","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isabel","family":"Leal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"William James Center for Research (WJCR), Ispa\u2014University Institute, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"91","article-title":"A resist\u00eancia quotidiana dos homossexuais no Estado Novo [The everyday resistance of homosexuals in the Estado Novo]","volume":"59","author":"Afonso","year":"2019","journal-title":"Trabalhos de Antropologia e Etnologia"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Allen, Katherine, and Roberto, Karen (2016). 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