Broadening Definitions of Family for Older Lesbians: Modifying the Lubben Social Network Scale

Abstract

Lesbian seniors have triple vulnerability (gender, sexual orientation, and age), necessitating inquiry into their social support needs, yet research about that is scare. Investigators identify relationships between social support and senior health. The Lubben Social Network Scale, Revised (LSNS-R), has provided such evidence and has been used to study many diverse senior groups. We modified it to include a Family of Choice category and qualitative questions to give context to responses among a sample of older lesbians. Our pilot demonstrated that the modification made a difference in accurately measuring social support among the sample, yet further investigation is warranted.