Childhood abuse, left-behind status and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults in China

Wenjian Xu; Shuang Xue; Yuxia Huang; Xing Zhang; Wanjie Tang; Michelle R Kaufman

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105936

Childhood abuse, left-behind status and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults in China

Child Abuse Negl. 2022 Dec:134:105936. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105936. Epub 2022 Oct 31.

Authors

Wenjian Xu¹, Shuang Xue², Yuxia Huang², Xing Zhang³, Wanjie Tang⁴, Michelle R Kaufman⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; Social Development and Risk Control Research Center, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: xuwenjian@scu.edu.cn.
² Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
³ School of Psychology, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China.
⁴ Center for Educational and Health Psychology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: tangwanjie2010@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

PMID: 36327763
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105936

Abstract

Background: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults are at increased risk of mental distress in China. To better carry out psychological intervention, it is essential to understand unique patterns of mental distress and their association with childhood abuse/neglect, including experiencing being left behind by migrating parents.

Objective: In a sample of Chinese LGB young adults, we examined: (1) associations between childhood abuse and left-behind status and mental distress; (2) latent profiles of mental distress; and (3) associations between childhood abuse and left-behind status and latent profiles of mental distress.

Participants and setting: A sample of 630 Chinese LGB young adults aged 18-30 years was recruited to complete an online survey.

Methods: Participants provided demographic information and completed validated measures of childhood abuse experience and mental distress. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify patterns of mental distress, and logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationships among these variables.

Results: Results showed that all forms of childhood abuse and left-behind status were associated with all dimensions of adulthood mental distress. The LPA suggested a 3-group solution as optimal (no mental distress, mild mental distress, and moderate/severe mental distress). Participants who experienced any forms of childhood abuse were more likely to be members of both the mild mental distress and moderate/severe mental distress groups (all p's < 0.001). Also, participants who had left-behind status were more likely to be in the moderate/severe mental distress group (AOR = 1.61, p < .05).

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for interventions aimed at addressing childhood abuse/neglect among Chinese LGB young adults, as these experiences increase the risk for mental health issues in adulthood.

Keywords: Childhood abuse; Latent profile analysis; Left-behind status; Mental health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Bisexuality / psychology
Child
China / epidemiology
Female
Homosexuality, Female* / psychology
Humans
Mental Health
Sexual and Gender Minorities*
Young Adult