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

PLoS One. 2020 Jan 6;15(1):e0226178. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226178. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that sexual minorities experience elevated levels of depressive symptoms compared to heterosexuals in Western countries. Still, little is known about whether there is any difference in depressive symptoms between sexual minority men and heterosexual men in China. This study investigated the differences in depressive symptoms and social support between 302 Chinese sexual minority men and 249 heterosexual men. The association between depressive symptoms, social support and sexual orientation was also explored. Our results indicated that Chinese sexual minority men have more depressive symptoms and perceived lower social support than heterosexual men. Overall, sexual orientation and social support both predicted depressive symptoms. Different from previous Western studies, in our results, social support fully mediates but does not moderate the relationship between sexual orientation and depressive symptoms in Chinese men. The current findings suggest that social support has a significant impact on depressive symptoms among Chinese sexual minority men, highlighting the unique role of social support in understanding depressive symptoms among Chinese sexual minority men. Providing more social support, as well as promoting accepting and positive environments, may lead to better adjustment in this population in China.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • China / epidemiology
  • Depression / epidemiology*
  • Depression / psychology
  • Heterosexuality / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Sexual Behavior / psychology*
  • Sexual and Gender Minorities / psychology*
  • Social Support*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the PhD Research Startup Foundation of Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2018A030310661) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2018M640791 & 2019T120738) to J.H.; and the grant funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71802203) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 18wkpy16) to L.T. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.