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A Longitudinal Study of Interpersonal Relationships Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents and Young Adults: Mediational Pathways from Attachment to Romantic Relationship Quality

  • Special Section: Sexual Health in Gay and Bisexual Men
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Abstract

The current study examined the potential for mental health to mediate associations between earlier attachment to parents and peers and later relationship adjustment during adolescence and young adulthood in a sample of sexual minority youth. Secondarily, the study examined associations between peer and parental attachment and relationship/dating milestones. Participants included 219 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth who participated in six waves of data collection over 3.5 years. Parental attachment was associated with an older age of dating initiation, while peer attachment was associated with longer relationship length. Both peer and parental attachment were significantly associated with mental health in later adolescence and young adulthood. Mental health mediated the association between peer attachment and main partner relationship quality. While the total indirect effect of parental attachment on main partner relationship quality was statistically significant, specific indirect effects were not. Implications for the application of attachment theory and integration of interpersonal factors into mental health intervention with sexual minority youth are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a Grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (R21MH095413; PI: Mustanski), an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention grant (PI: Mustanski), the William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Award (PI: Mustanski), and the David Bohnett Foundation (PI: Mustanski). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.

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  1. Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training, 142 W 36th St. 9th Floor, New York, NY, 10018, USA

    Tyrel J. Starks

  2. Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Michael E. Newcomb & Brian Mustanski

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Starks, T.J., Newcomb, M.E. & Mustanski, B. A Longitudinal Study of Interpersonal Relationships Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adolescents and Young Adults: Mediational Pathways from Attachment to Romantic Relationship Quality. Arch Sex Behav 44, 1821–1831 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-015-0492-6

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