Adverse childhood experiences, sexual minority stigma, social support and depressive symptoms among Chinese men who have sex with men: A moderated mediation modelling analysis

Wei, Liqing; Yu, Bin; Zhai, Mengxi; Li, Jiayu; Liú, Dan; Liu, Xin; Wang, Huihao; Yan, Hong

doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04324-7

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…High social support may facilitate effective coping, such as dealing with school bullying, to maintain low levels of internalized homophobia. Interestingly, our findings did not reveal a moderating effect of social support in the relationship between internalized homophobia and affective symptoms [ 46 , 48 ]. This could be due to the fact that the majority of respondents were enrolled in school and received “virtually” social support from their family members through long-distance contacts, which may have diminished the perceived strength of social support.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Minority stress, social support and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students in China: a moderated mediation analysis

Li,

Liu,

Zheng

et al. 2023

BMC Psychiatry

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Background The existing body of research exploring minority stressors and their impact on the mental health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) students in China remains limited in scope and often restricted to specific geographic regions.. Methods A combination of snowball and targeted sampling strategies was used to recruit lesbian, gay and bisexual students (N = 1,393) for a cross-sectional, online survey in China. Participants (Mage = 20.00 years; 60.23% assigned male at birth) were tasked with completing a comprehensive questionnaire designed to capture various dimensions, including gender expression, minority stressors (e.g., school bullying, internalized homophobia), social psychological resources (e.g., perceived social support), and mental health-related outcomes (e.g., depression, anxious and stress). Our analytical approach involved hierarchical multiple regression analyses, mediation and moderated mediation modeling to elucidate the intricate interplay among these factors. Results Our findings shed light on the pronounced mental health disparities afflicting LGB college students in China, with notable prevalence rates of depression (48.1%), anxiety (57.1%), and stress (37.5%). A significant positive correlation was observed between experiences of school-based victimization and internalized homophobia, which, in turn, exhibited a direct association with affective symptoms.School bullying was positive with internalized homophobia, which was positively associated with affective symptoms.In addition to unveiling the indirect effects of school bullying on affective symptoms, our study identified direct links in this complex relationship. Notably, the availability of social support emerged as a pivotal factor, serving as a moderator within the mediation model by mitigating the path from school-based victimization bullying to internalized homophobia (β = -0.077, P = 0.040). Conclusions This study underscores the pervasive and concerning mental health disparities experienced by LGB college students in China. In response, institutions of higher learning should intensify anti-bullying initiatives tailored to LGB students and implement comprehensive gender education programs. Moreover, concerted efforts should be directed at enhancing the accessibility of social support resources for LGB college students, with the aim of cultivating and sustaining favorable psychological well-being.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%