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Internalized Sexual Stigma and Mental Health Outcomes for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Asian Americans: The Moderating Role of Guilt and Shame.
- Source :
-
International journal of environmental research and public health [Int J Environ Res Public Health] 2024 Mar 22; Vol. 21 (4). Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 22. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- The literature unequivocally demonstrates that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience disproportionate mental health and social wellbeing impacts. Here, we respond to recent calls for research in the field of sexual minority health to better understand why various overlapping and intersecting identities can further drive health disparities. In this paper, we focus on the specific intersections of ethnicity and sexuality for Asian LGB individuals and the role of internalized stigma in driving poorer mental health outcomes for this group. We recruited 148 LGB Asian participants residing in the United States ( M <subscript>age</subscript> = 22.82 years, SD = 4.88) to participate in our online cross-sectional survey in which we collected data on their internalized stigma, levels of guilt and shame about their sexuality, and measures of depression, anxiety, and distress. Contrary to our predictions, there were no bivariate relationships between internalized sexual stigma and any of the mental health outcomes. However, a parallel mediation analysis revealed that guilt, but not shame, mediates the relationship between internalized sexual stigma and all mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress) for LGB Asian American individuals. This research highlights the important of exploring additional variables that may exacerbate of protect against poor mental health for individuals with multiple intersecting identities.
- Subjects :
- Humans
Female
Male
Adult
Young Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
United States
Adolescent
Bisexuality psychology
Homosexuality, Male psychology
Homosexuality, Male ethnology
Depression psychology
Depression ethnology
Shame
Guilt
Social Stigma
Asian psychology
Mental Health
Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1660-4601
- Volume :
- 21
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- International journal of environmental research and public health
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38673297
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040384