Sense of Belonging to the General and Lesbian Communities as Predictors of Depression Among Lesbians

Abstract

Research has indicated that a sense of belonging is important for mental health. This study investigated sense of belonging to the general community and sense of belonging to the lesbian community as predictors of depression among self-identified lesbians (n = 178). Participants completed the Psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument and the Depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Results showed that although sense of belonging to the general community and sense of belonging to the lesbian community were directly related to depression, only sense of belonging to the general community contributed significantly to the prediction of depression when they were entered together in a regression analysis. Sense of belonging to the general community and sense of belonging to the lesbian community interacted in the prediction of depression. Low sense of belonging to the general community buffered the association between sense of belonging to the lesbian community and depression, while high sense of belonging to the general community exacerbated the association between sense of belonging to the lesbian community and depression. Results also showed that sense of belonging to the general community mediated the relation between sense of belonging to the lesbian community and depression. Results imply that enhancing a sense of belonging to the general community should be a priority for lesbians who do not feel that they belong to the lesbian community.

The effect of social support on the health of Indigenous Australians in a metropolitan community

“…This could be interpreted as gaining a sense of belonging from the general community rather than the Indigenous community. The positive effect caused by gaining a sense of belonging from the general community is supported by research concerning other marginalised groups (Hill, 2006;McLaren, 2009;Richmond and Ross, 2008). However, this research highlights the juxtaposition of gaining a sense of belonging from the general community when racism inhibits developing relationships with them and generates distrust towards them.…”

“…The social hierarchy that is perpetuated by these circumstances reinforces racial stigmas and creates a barrier to interactions. The detrimental effect of this barrier is emphasised in research regarding marginalised groups that indicates benefits of social support obtained via interactions with the wider community (McLaren, 2009;Richmond et al, 2007).…”

Characterizing non-monosexual women at risk for poor mental health outcomes: A mixed methods study

“…33 Low sense of belonging to the lesbian community has also been associated with depression among self-identified lesbians. 34 To our knowledge, however, quantitative research has not previously investigated a potential relationship between LGBT community connectedness and mental health among nonmonosexual women specifically, although Frost and Meyer 19 report lower mean levels of LGBT community connectedness among the bisexual participants in their sample relative to gay/ lesbian participants. This is consistent with other qualitative research with bisexual people, which has identified biphobia within lesbian/gay communities as a significant barrier to LGBT community support for bisexual people.…”

Sense of Belonging and Depressive Symptoms Among GLB Adolescents

“…Recent Australian research tested the applicability of four models to explain the interrelations between sense of belonging to the general community, sense of belonging to the lesbian and gay community and depression among adult lesbians (McLaren, 2009) and gay men (McLaren et al, 2008). First, results supported a direct effects model, with belonging to each community being associated with fewer depressive symptoms among gay men and lesbians.…”

“…Low sense of belonging has been associated with low self-esteem, high levels of anxiety (Lee & Robbins, 1998), depression, and suicidal ideation (Bailey & McLaren, 2005), and fewer reasons to live (Kissane & McLaren, 2006). Low levels of sense of belonging to the general community have been associated with high levels of depressive symptoms among gay (McLaren, Jude, & McLachlan, 2008) and lesbian (McLaren, 2009) adults.…”