Abstract
This longitudinal study investigated psychosocial mediators in the association between minority sexual orientation (e.g., identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual) and depressive symptoms in young people. Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) U.K. birth cohort were analyzed. Sexual orientation was assessed at 15 years, and depressive symptoms were assessed at 18 years. Mediators were assessed at 17 years: unhelpful assumptions (i.e., dysfunctional attitudes about the self and others), selfesteem, and family relationships were measured using four items. Multiple mediation analysis of 14,814 individuals utilized structural equation models estimated via full information maximum likelihood, with family relationships entered as a latent variable. Sex at birth was examined as a moderator. Sexual minority youth had higher risk for depressive symptoms at 18 years than heterosexual youth. They also had poorer relationships with their family and more unhelpful assumptions with weaker evidence for lower self-esteem, especially those who were male sex at birth. Poorer family relationships and unhelpful assumptions mediated the relation between sexual minority status and depressive symptoms, with weaker evidence for self-esteem as a mediator. There was no evidence to suggest that sex at birth moderated these relations. Poorer family relationships, more unhelpful self-beliefs, and possibly lower self-esteem may contribute to sexual orientation disparities in depressive symptoms, indicating possible areas for prevention and intervention.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2020 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gender Studies
- General Psychology
Keywords
- Adolescents
- ALSPAC
- Depression
- Mediation
- Sexual minority