Gay Community Attachment and Psychological Distress Among Same-Sex Attracted Young Men

Abstract

Same-sex attracted young men (SSAYM; ages 18–24 years) exhibit psychological resilience in the face of mental health burden that is associated with sexuality-related discrimination. Given that social resources contribute to developing psychological resilience, gay community attachment (GCA) may attenuate mental health conditions experienced by SSAYM. Using data from a national, cross-sectional survey of SSAYM (N= 1,462), we developed resilience models to evaluate the impact of assets (self-esteem), resources (GCA), and risk factors (sexuality-related discrimination) on psychological distress (anxiety and depression). We tested both compensatory and risk-protective models. We found support for the compensatory model in our multivariable regressions. Sexuality-related discrimination was a risk factor for both anxiety and depression. Self-esteem was an asset negatively associated with anxiety and depression symptoms. We found no support for the risk-protective model in our analysis. Identifying assets and resources of SSAYM’s psychological resilience will be critical to addressing the mental health burden experienced by SSAYM.