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Adverse childhood experiences, sexual minority stigma, social support and depressive symptoms among Chinese men who have sex with men: A moderated mediation modelling analysis

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Abstract

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk of depression. This study explores the mediation mechanism between ACEs, sexual minority stigma and depression, as well as the moderation effect of social support in the mediation model. Study data were derived from 693 MSM in China. The ACEs, sexual minority stigma, social support and depression were measured using reliable instruments. Mediation and moderated mediation model were used for analysis. 49.95% of the study sample reported having depressive symptoms in the past week. The association between ACEs and depressive symptoms was partially mediated by sexual minority stigma, overall (indirect effect = 0.32, 95% CI [ 0.18, 0.53]) and by different subscales (0.51 [0.29, 0.83] for abuse, 0.76 [0.40, 1.32] for neglect, and 0.64 [0.26, 1.12] for household dysfunction). Social support moderated the mediation model and varied in different pathways with social support negatively moderated the paths of ACEs-sexual minority stigma and ACEs-depression and positively moderated the path of sexual minority stigma-depression. Study findings suggest a mediation mechanism between ACEs, sexual minority stigma and depressive symptoms. Social support serves as a moderator in the mediation model, providing data for future effective interventions.

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Data availability

Data analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all participants in this study for sharing their life experiences and perceptions.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81673196) and the Humanities and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education (Grant No. 15YJAZH094).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Liqing Wei, Bin Yu, Mengxi Zhai, Jiayu Li, Dan Liu, Xin Liu, Huihao Wang & Hong Yan

  2. School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Hong Yan

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  1. Liqing Wei
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Correspondence to Hong Yan.

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Wei, L., Yu, B., Zhai, M. et al. Adverse childhood experiences, sexual minority stigma, social support and depressive symptoms among Chinese men who have sex with men: A moderated mediation modelling analysis. Curr Psychol 43, 1169–1178 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04324-7

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