(PS6-42) Resilience to social stigma, perceived social support, and depressive symptoms in LGBTQ+ emerging adults: A preliminary study of indirect associations using cross-sectional mediation analysis

Abstract Text: LGBTQ+ emerging adults are often at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes, including depressive symptoms (Fulginiti et al., 2021; Lattanner & Hatzenbuehler, 2023). In social buffer theory (Robinson et al., 2024), high social support buffers associations between minority stress and depressive symptoms in LGBTQ+ emerging adults (Jacmin-Park et al., 2022). Prior work has examined how minority stress impacts LGBTQ+ mental health outcomes, often without accounting for resilience to social stigma, another important strength in LGBTQ+ identity development and coping with minority stress (Asakura, 2017; Testa et al., 2015). The current study seeks to address this gap by incorporating resilience to social stigma when examining mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms, in LGBTQ+ emerging adults. Thus, in three models, this study investigates the extent to which resilience to social stigma mediates associations between three sources of social support (i.e., family, friend, and significant other) and depressive symptoms in LGBTQ+ emerging adults, adjusting for age. Data were collected from 203 LGBTQ+ emerging adult participants (Mean age = 21.6, 58.6% white) in wave one of a three-wave longitudinal study examining minority stress, mental health outcomes, and human-animal bonds in this populations (Matijczak et al., 2023). Participants completed questionnaires, including the Courage to Challenge Scale (Smith & Gray, 2009), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988), and Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis & Melisaratos, 1983). Resilience to social stigma, with greater values indicating greater resilience, was positively correlated with social support from family members (r = .27, p < .001), friends (r = .39, p < .001), and significant others (r = .24, p < .001), and negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (r = −.48, p < .001). The indirect effects on depressive symptoms via resilience to social stigma were statistically significant for social support from family, Std. β = -0.12, [bias-corrected bootstrapped 95% CI: -0.18, -0.06], friends, Std. β = -0.18, [bias-corrected bootstrapped 95% CI: -0.25, -0.11], and significant others, Std. β = -0.11, [bias-corrected bootstrapped 95% CI: -0.18, -0.05]. Resilience to social stigma fully mediated the relationship between social support from significant others and depressive symptoms (b = -0.06, p = .17) and the relationship between social support from friends and depressive symptoms (b = -0.05, p = .25). Resilience to social stigma partially mediated the relationship between social support from family and depressive symptoms (b = -0.12, p < .001). Thus, how social support impacts depressive symptoms may be explained by resilience to social stigma in this population. Further, how social support explains depressive symptoms through resilience to social stigma may vary by source of social support in LGBTQ+ emerging adults (Ames-Sikora et al., 2017; McDonald, 2018). Findings highlight the clear need for affirmative treatments and interventions fortifying strengths, like resilience to social stigma, as well as targeting social support in LGBTQ+ emerging adults (Rogowska & Cisek, 2024; Smith & Gray, 2009).