Does Social Support Predict Depressive Symptoms? A Longitudinal Study of Midlife and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study

Abstract

The present study was designed to identify social support classes across time among midlife (40–64 years) and older (65+ years) gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), and whether social support protects against depressive symptoms in this population. This study applied longitudinal latent class analysis across five visits on 1,329 individuals age 40 or older at baseline using data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) Healthy Aging substudy collected from April 2016 to October 2018. We identified four classes of social support across time: Partner-centered, that is, high levels of support from one's primary partner(s) and moderate support from friends and family; Friend-centered, that is, high levels of support from friends and chosen family; Low, that is, low levels of support from all sources; and Robust, that is, high levels of support from all sources. We found differences in class membership by age, race/ethnicity, employment status, sexual identity, education, relationship status, and HIV status. Finally, compared to MSM in the low support class, men in the other classes had lower odds of depressive symptoms at the final visit. The most common type of social support was partner-centered, while the least common type was robust. These findings suggest that the presence of any social support, regardless of the source, protects against depressive symptoms.

Social support as a mediator between mental health and stigma among newly HIV-positive men who have sex with men

“…51 A multicenter cohort study of MSM in the USA suggested that the presence of different types of social support protects against negative emotions and benefits mental health. 52 Consistent with our results, an online intervention combined with electronic social networking conducted among MSM with HIV in China reported a significant enhancement of positive well-being in both mental aspects and behavior change. 53 Therefore, it is feasible to enhance social support and reduce stigma to improve the mental health of MSM in China.…”

The role of social support on cognitive function among midlife and older adult MSM

“…We did not find significant effects by race or ethnicity on social support after adjusting for covariates; however, prior research in this cohort, using a sub-sample restricted to people living with HIV and a brief, one-item measure of social support, indicated that black and Hispanic MSM reported lower levels of social support than White MSM [15]. Earlier work from the MACS found that black MSM have more robust social networks than white MSM [18]. These inconsistent findings supported the idea that objective aspects of social relationships (e.g.…”

“…One study of aging gay and bisexual men showed that multilevel resiliencies, including high social support and strong connections to gay communities, were protective against loneliness [14]. Additional evidence has shown that social support positively impacts HIV viral load suppression [15], physical and mental health related quality of life [16], psychological distress [17], and depression [18]. It is currently unknown, but likely that this impact extends to cognitive function as well.…”

Understanding Patterns of Healthy Aging Among Men Who Have Sex With Men: Protocol for an Observational Cohort Study

“…Previous publications from this study used several analytical approaches to assess research questions. These approaches include longitudinal latent class analyses to identify associations between social environmental resilience and loneliness [ 71 ] and associations between social support typologies and depression symptoms [ 72 ]; group-based trajectory approaches to assess predictors of polypharmacy [ 73 ]; longitudinal multinomial analyses assessing predictors of romantic partnership structures [ 74 ] and predictors of aging satisfaction [ 75 ]; multivariable regressions to assess the effects of conversion therapy on depressive symptoms [ 76 ]; longitudinal mixed models with lagged variables assessing the effects of employment status on depressive symptomology [ 77 ]; and structural equation modeling, using mediation, to assess associations among gay community connection, negative self-appraisal, and fitness engagement [ 78 ]. The core investigative team will use Longitudinal Latent Class Analysis and structural equation modeling procedures to assess latent resiliency phenotypes and their direct and indirect effects on biopsychosocial health outcomes in a forthcoming series of manuscripts.…”