Sense of belonging to specific communities and depressive symptoms among Australian gay men
- Authors: Morris, Simon , McLaren, Suzanne , McLachlan, Angus , Jenkins, Megan
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Homosexuality Vol.62 , no.6 (2015), p.804-820
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sense of belonging to the general and broader gay communities has been shown to be beneficial for gay men’s mental health. This research investigated the interrelations between sense of belonging to three forms of gay community (the broader gay community, gay groups, and gay friends), sense of belonging to the general community, and depressive symptoms by examining a path model. A community sample of 177 gay men, aged 18 to 79 years, completed the Sense of Belonging Instrument–Psychological subscale, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale, and the Sense of Belonging within Gay Communities Scale. The model provided excellent fit to the data in which sense of belonging to the general community mediated the relationships between a sense of belonging to gay groups and with gay friends and depressive symptoms. Results imply that enhancing gay men’s sense of belonging to gay groups and with gay friends is likely to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms, by virtue of their enhanced sense of belonging to the general community.
Sense of belonging to the general and gay communities as predictors of depression among Australian Gay Men
- Authors: McLaren, Suzanne , Jude, Belinda , McLachlan, Angus
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Men's Health Vol. 7, no. 1 (2008), p. 90-99
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sense of belonging has been regarded as important for mental health. This study investigated sense of belonging to the general community and sense of belonging to the gay community as predictors of depression among self-identified Australian gay men (N = 137). Participants completed the Psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument and the Depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Results offered support for the additive model and suggested that sense of belonging to the general community partially mediated the relation between sense of belonging to the gay community and depression, as well as the reverse, that sense of belonging to the gay community partially mediated the relation between sense of belonging to the general community and depression. Findings failed to support a moderation effect model. Results indicate that increasing a sense of belonging to both communities will be associated with a decrease in levels of depression reported by gay men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Men's Health is the property of Men's Studies Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
From Mardi Gras to Manangatang : Sense of belonging and mental health in Australian men as a function of sexual orientation
- Authors: Jude, Belinda , McLaren, Suzanne , McLachlan, Angus
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Psychology Vol. 55, no. (2003), p. 187
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed: