Gay men's experiences coming out online: A qualitative study

Chester, Matthew R.; Sinnard, Morgan T.; Rochlen, Aaron B.; Nadeau, Miranda M.; Balsan, Michael J.; Provence, Markus M.

doi:10.1080/10538720.2016.1221785

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…This can cultivate a variety of stressors that over time can translate into self-hatred, isolation, and increased violent behaviors [10][11][12]. These negative stressors related to coming out can even compound by one's race and ethnicity, which can further one's risk for depression [2,12]. The minority stress theory is a conceptual framework developed to describe the numerous stressors that may uniquely face members of minority groups [13].…”

Section: Sexual Orientation Disclosurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…of self-consciousness, depression, and low self-esteem [2,10,12]. Past research among men who have sex with men has shown that social network connections can be instrumental in protecting against the effects of distal minority stressors on their psychological well-being, and lowered support can exacerbate depressive symptoms [49].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the most important expressive processes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals is "coming out", wherein individuals navigate their sexual identity and whether to disclose it to others [1,2]. A few of the influential environmental and social factors that can impact when and to whom an individual discloses their sexual orientation include items such as self-esteem, potential for acceptance, perceived level of emotional or physical harm, and social stigma [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual orientation disclosure and depression among Thai gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: The roles of social support and intimate partner violence

Encina,

Waratworawan,

Kongjareon

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Background Among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), sexual orientation disclosure to social groups can act as a significant risk for depression. The primary goal of this research is to understand the association between disclosure and depression, the association of social support and intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences, depression, and disclosure. Methods This project uses a secondary dataset of Thailand from a larger cross-sectional study distributed in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. This study utilized web-based answers from 1468 Thai GBM respondents between the ages of 15–24 years. Results Prevalence of depression was over 50%. Across the social groups of interest, those who disclosed to everyone had the lowest depression prevalence. This association was statistically significant for all groups (p<0.050) except for “Family members” (p = 0.052). There was a statistically significant association illustrated between full disclosure to social groups and increased social support. Most respondents (43.9%) had low social support, and additionally this group had the highest level of depression, compared to those with high social support. There was a statistically significant association for lowered depression outcomes and increased social support. IPV experiences that occurred within the last six months had a statistically significant relationship with depression (p = 0.002). There was a notable association between those with experiences of being a victim of IPV, alone and in conjunction with experience of being a perpetrator of IPV, which was associated with increased odds of depression. However, the type of IPV experiences an individual had did not differ based on disclosure status. Discussion This study provides strengthened evidence of the impact that differences in supportive networks can have on mental health outcomes. In addition, they provided a wider consideration for how people may have different IPV experiences, either as a perpetrator, victim, or both, and how those shapes health outcomes of depression. GBM communities still face adversity and challenges that affect their long-term health outcomes, even if they do live in what is considered an accepting country.

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Section: Sexual Orientation Disclosurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual orientation disclosure and depression among Thai gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: The roles of social support and intimate partner violence

Encina,

Waratworawan,

Kongjareon

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, fears of being stereotyped and judged, and potential loss of family and friends were indicated by some participants as antecedents inhibiting their coming out. Potential loss of familial ties and financial support that may result from coming out was a fear that surfaced and is a concern echoed by other LGB+ people as they consider the possible effects of coming out on their lives (Jadwin-Cakmak et al, 2015;Chester et al, 2016;Goldbach and Gibbs, 2017). Identified concerns about coming out were also linked to discomfort in coming out to medical professionals-a concern noted in the literature (Barbara et al, 2001;Aleshire et al, 2019) that has implications for the health of sexual minorities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Here in the Bible Belt, It’s Predominantly Negative”: Sexual Identity Stigma in the American South, 50 Years After Stonewall

et al. 2021

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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and pansexual (LGB+) individuals have disproportionate rates of mental illness. Minority stress and sexual identity stigma are posited as the primary social determinants of LGB+ mental health disparities. Discussions in the literature have questioned the impact of sexual identity stigma in a world increasingly accepting of sexual minorities. Additionally, the LGB+ population in the United States South is often overlooked in American research. This article details a qualitative study exploring experiences related to sexual identity stigma among adults who identify as LGB+ in the United States South. Semi-structured interviews with 16 individuals were analyzed using content analysis. Six thematic categories of stigma emerged from participants’ experiences: (a) navigating an LGB+ identity, (b) social acceptability of an LGB+ identity, (c) expectation of LGB+ stigma, (d) interpersonal discrimination and harassment, (e) structural stigma, and (f) relationship with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Findings suggest that sexual identity stigma remains a common experience among these Southern United States participants. Further, thematic categories and subcategories primarily aligned with extant theory with one exception: Intracommunity stigma, a form of stigma emanating from the LGBTQ community, emerged as a stigma type not currently accounted for in theoretical foundations underpinning mental health disparities in this population.

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“…Due to technological developments, (social) media have become another sub‐area within coming out research. For example, research explored and critically reflected on LGBTQ+ individuals' coming out negotiation to family, friends, work colleagues, and strangers via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, and online dating platforms (e.g., Chester et al., 2016; Duguay, 2016; Etengoff & Daiute, 2015; George, 2011; Onanuga, 2021; Owens, 2017; Phua, 2020; Steinfeld, 2020; Thompson & Figueroa, 2020; Waggoner, 2022) or on reality TV shows (e.g., Bannink & Wentink, 2015; Boross & Reijnders, 2015, 2017). The analysis of celebrities' coming out and related press coverage has been also of interest (e.g., Benozzo, 2013; Motschenbacher, 2019; Schallhorn & Hempel, 2017; Tinker, 2021).…”

Section: Three‐lens Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of coming out research: Introducing a three‐lens typology

Sandler

2022

Sociology Compass

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Coming out is a fast-growing global research area with numerous interdisciplinary publications dedicated to its exploration. To contribute to a more organised and concise way of understanding this rapidly expanding field, I introduce a three-lens typology. Based on the systematic categorisation of over 700 publications, coming out research can be viewed via the following three lenses: (1) the different social institutions in which individuals come out, (2) to whom individuals come out, and (3) the content of individuals' coming out. The identified lenses focus on 'coming out in', 'coming out to' and 'coming out as', which adds to current conceptual understandings of 'coming out into' and 'coming out of'. Further, lens 3 demonstrates another usage shift of the coming out terminology. The concept of coming out originally was used outside of sexuality contexts and currently is being used more broadly again. However, in contrast to its original meaning, the new areas of application (e.g., fatness, atheism, illness) are still linked to conceptualisations and experiences of non-normativity. This publication assists students, scholars, and practitioners with navigating the extensive amount of coming out literature. It further illustrates the potential and challenges of coming out research and points towards the future-the if, how and what-of this field.

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Gay men's experiences coming out online: A qualitative study

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

Sexual orientation disclosure and depression among Thai gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: The roles of social support and intimate partner violence

Sexual orientation disclosure and depression among Thai gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: The roles of social support and intimate partner violence

“Here in the Bible Belt, It’s Predominantly Negative”: Sexual Identity Stigma in the American South, 50 Years After Stonewall

An overview of coming out research: Introducing a three‐lens typology

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