Psychosocial Mediators of the Relations Between Sexual Orientation and Depressive Symptoms in a Longitudinal Sample of Young People

Angeliki Argyriou*, Kimberley A. Goldsmith, Alkeos Tsokos, Katharine A. Rimes

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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 languageEnglish
JournalPsychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • General Psychology

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • ALSPAC
  • Depression
  • Mediation
  • Sexual minority

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