The buffering effect of peer support on the links between family rejection and psychosocial adjustment in LGB emerging adults

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) emerging adults often seek support from their peers if they lack support from their family of origin. We predicted that peer social support would moderate the link between negative family relationships and psychosocial adjustment, such that in the context of family rejection, experiencing more peer support would predict lower levels of anxiety, depression, and internalized homonegativity (IH) and higher self-esteem. Sixty-two (27 females) LGB individuals (ages 17–27, M = 21.34 years, SD = 2.65) reported on their families’ attitudes toward homosexuality, experiences of family victimization, peer social support, anxiety and depression symptoms, IH, and self-esteem. Results showed that peer social support moderated the link between negative family attitudes and anxiety and also moderated the link between family victimization and depression. The moderating effects suggest that having a supportive peer group may protect against mental health problems for LGB emerging adults who lack support from their family of origin.

Strengthening Our Schools to Promote Resilience and Health Among LGBTQ Youth: Emerging Evidence and Research Priorities fromThe State of LGBTQ Youth Health and WellbeingSymposium

“…Additional interpersonal-level factors. In addition to supportive adults in schools, the working group identified peers in schools as sources of social support for LGBTQ students, 23,43,44 and some early work points to the potential role of parents in schools to champion the inclusion of LGBTQ students within school programs and policies. 45,46 Table 1 offers a summary of these factors with research and programmatic questions of interest for each factor identified by the working group.…”

Disparity in depressive symptoms between heterosexual and sexual minority men in China: The role of social support

“…Adequate social support will offset or moderate the negative impact of minority stress on mental health. For example, social support has been found to serve as a buffer against the negative effects of minority stress and depressive symptoms among sexual minorities [20,21]. However, sexual minority individuals are more likely to suffer low levels of social support [22], which results in impaired mental health.…”

“…In addition, we hypothesize that the level of social support from family will be lower than the social support from friends and from significant other among Chinese sexual minority men; we expect that, these differences will not be found in heterosexual men. Next, given the large body of evidence suggesting that social support is associated with mental health [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24], we hypothesize that social support will be inversely associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese men. Finally, based on previous research, social support could serve as a moderator and a mediator in the relationship between sexual minority identity and mental health [19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

Health Disparities Between Sexual Minority and Different-Sex-Attracted Adolescents: Quantifying the Intervening Role of Social Support and School Belonging

“…This body of research has documented that sexual minority youth who receive greater levels of family/parental support, [15][16][17][18][19] friend/peer support, 18,19 community support, 18 and/or school support 19,20 report better personal outcomes than sexual minority youth who receive less support. This applies to outcomes such as psychological distress and depressive symptoms, [15][16][17]19,20 self-esteem, [17][18][19] suicidality, 17 and risk behaviors. 17 Furthermore, some support types (e.g., peer support) compensate for the absence of others (e.g., family support), buffering lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth against suboptimal health outcomes.…”

“…17 Furthermore, some support types (e.g., peer support) compensate for the absence of others (e.g., family support), buffering lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth against suboptimal health outcomes. 16 It is nevertheless unclear whether or not these associations differ between sexual minority and gender minority/transgender youth, as studies have either aggregated the two groups 15,17,18,20 or focused exclusively on LGB youth. 16,19 Studies examining the role of social relationships in mediating the associations between adolescent sexual orientation and health-that is, health disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual youth-are scarcer.…”