Multiple Mediational Model of Outness, Social Support, Mental Health, and Wellness Behavior in Ethnically Diverse Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women

Abstract

Purpose: A growing body of research has begun to examine wellness behaviors in sexual minority women. While a number of constructs have been associated with wellness behaviors in this population, including outness, social support, and mental health, no research has attempted to forge the specific and unique connections among them. The aim of the current study was to construct a theoretical chain among these variables leading to wellness behaviors among an ethnically diverse sample of sexual minority women. Methods: A sample of 150 ethnically diverse, cisgender women identifying as lesbian, bisexual, queer, or an ''other'' non-heterosexual sexual orientation completed a web-administered national survey. Scales assessed participants' outness, social support, mental health, and wellness behaviors. Results: In a series of simultaneous, multiple regressions, outness to one's family was positively associated with wellness behavior and social support; social support from one's family and friends was positively associated with mental health; and depression was negatively associated with wellness behaviors. Two multiple mediational models generally suggested a cascading influence of outness to one's family on wellness behaviors through social support from one's family and depression. Conclusion: The study is one of the first to find potentially cascading links among personal, social, and mental health variables with health behaviors in a sample of diverse lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women. It thereby illuminates a number of potential targets for health promotion interventions in this population.

Applications of a Functionalist Theory of Gender: A Response to Reflections and a Research Agenda

“…Developing a gender that functions to resist stigma across psychological, cultural, interpersonal, and sexual domains does not mean that the external context of stigma disappears. In our research and that of others (e.g., Tabaac, Perrin, & Trujillo, 2015;Velez & Moradi, 2016), however, being out and active in LGBTQþ gender communities has been found to engender resilience and decrease distress. Tracking the social conditions that led to the generation and evolution of genders can help us to combat pathologizing narratives of people with diverse genders and to develop more accurate historical understandings of gender.…”

Health Care‐Related Correlates of Cervical Cancer Screening among Sexual Minority Women: An Integrative Review

“…In every study measuring sexual orientation disclosure, disclosure was associated with higher screening rates . It is unlikely that screening is a direct result of sexual identity disclosure, but more likely that providers who invite disclosure are also more likely to provide evidence‐based care to SMW or that SMW who disclose to providers also have stronger social support systems or more resources to mitigate the deleterious effects of potential discrimination in health care . Finally, findings from only one study in this review directly suggested that some health care providers misunderstand SMW's need for cervical cancer screening.…”

A Psychosocial Genealogy of LGBTQ+ Gender: An Empirically Based Theory of Gender and Gender Identity Cultures

“…This heightened visibility can lead to mixed effects. Being out as a sexual or gender minority can provide social support leading to decreased distress (Tabaac, Perrin, & Trujillo, 2015;Velez & Moradi, 2016), but it also increases the likelihood of becoming a target of prejudice or violence (e.g., Puckett, Maroney, Levitt, & Horne, 2016). For instance, butch lesbians have been found to face discrimination, threats of violence, and experiences of violence more often than femme-identified or feminine lesbians (Levitt & Horne, 2002;Levitt, Puckett, Ippolito, & Horne, 2012).…”