Abstract
Much research on Chinese gay and bisexual men has focused on sexual health and, in particular, HIV-related issues. However, relatively little research has considered psychosocial aspects of being a gay or bisexual man in China. The present study was designed to address this gap by examining psychosocial predictors of mental health from a minority stress perspective. Results from an online survey of 1,786 Chinese gay and bisexual cisgender men revealed that higher levels of internalized homonegativity predicted greater psychological distress and a lower sense of positive well-being. Higher self-esteem, social support, and resilience were strong predictors of lower psychological distress and higher well-being, but these psychosocial factors mostly did not moderate associations between internalized homonegativity and mental health. A stronger sense of sexual identity superiority weakened the associations between internalized homonegativity and both mental health measures, but sexual identity centrality only moderated the association between internalized homonegativity and positive well-being. This study is among the first to examine minority stressors and psychosocial factors, distinct from the HIV-focussed literature, in a Chinese context. These findings may inform interventions targeting increased self-esteem, social support, and resilience, which could be beneficial for the mental health of Chinese gay and bisexual cisgender men.
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The authors would like to thank the men who participated in the survey, and Brian Feinstein and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.
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This research was supported by funding from Victoria University’s Centre for Cultural Diversity and wellbeing Seeding Grant Scheme.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Warwick Hosking and Anthony Lyons. Data analysis was performed by Kylie Plant, Aneira Connell, and Warwick Hosking. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Kylie Plant and Aneira Connell. All authors commented on and contributed to previous versions of the manuscript, and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Plant, K., Connell, A., Hosking, W. et al. Internalized Homonegativity and Mental Health Among Chinese Gay and Bisexual Cisgender Men: Exploring the Moderating Influences of Psychosocial and Sexual Identity Factors. Arch Sex Behav 51, 3541–3556 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02314-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02314-7