Minority stress and mental health in gay and lesbian youth: A comparative study of Italy and Spain.

Abstract

The present study was carried out based on the minority stress model. The purpose was to compare Italian and Spanish gay and lesbian youth on minority stressors and mental health outcomes and test the minority stress model in Italy and Spain. The sample consisted of 490 participants (307 Italians, Mage = 25.30 and 183 Spanish, Mage = 27.57). They completed an online questionnaire measuring everyday discrimination, coming out to family members, coming out to friends/one’s social network, internalized sexual stigma, depression, and anxiety. A multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to explore the effect of nationality on all measures. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the direct and indirect (through internalized sexual stigma) effects of stressors on mental health outcomes. The results demonstrate an impact of nationality on three dimensions: Spanish youth presented higher levels of everyday discrimination, while Italian youth had lower levels of both coming out to family members and coming out to friends/one’s social network. Further, in both countries, all stressors had both direct and indirect (through internalized sexual stigma) associations with depression and anxiety. These findings have some social implications: studying the effect of nationality can be useful in suggesting changes in political and social macrosystems. Additionally, studying the associations among these variables is helpful for intervening more efficiently, for example, clinically, on the impact of minority stress.

Factors associated with help-seeking regarding sexual orientation concerns among Japanese gay and bisexual men: results from a cross-sectional survey

“…Although numerous studies highlight the poor mental health of gay and bisexual men [ 1 , 6 , 7 , 15 , 16 , 26 , 27 ], there are significantly fewer studies on the help-seeking behavior of these men, and no previous studies have focused on the situation in Japan, which is an academic concern [ 28 ]. Although previous research shows that 23.0-27.1% of LGBT individuals who have experienced suicide attempts previously sought help from someone else [ 2 , 29 , 30 ], there is no research targeting gay and bisexual men in Japan.…”

“…Although the majority of LGBT individuals report wanting to come out their sexuality to family members, only 14.7% came out [ 21 , 22 ]. It is possible that seeking help for emotional support from others help these individuals become more accepting and easier to come out to family members [ 9 , 16 , 23 ], but this association remains uninvestigated in Japan.…”