What about me? Sense of belonging and depressive symptoms among bisexual women
- Authors: McLaren, Suzanne , Castillo, Paolo
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Bisexuality Vol. 20, no. 2 (2020), p. 166-182
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Depression is a significant mental health issue for bisexual women. While theory and research indicates that sense of belonging is important for mental health, limited research has investigated this in relation to bisexual women belonging to the LGBTQ + community. Existing research indicates that identification and involvement with the LGBTQ + community is not protective for the mental health of bisexual women. The protective nature of the extent to which bisexual women feel valued and needed within the lesbian community has not been examined. The current study examined the relationships between sense of belonging to the lesbian and heterosexual communities and depressive symptoms among bisexual women. A sample of 306 Australian self-identified bisexual women completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument. Results indicated that sense of belonging to each community was related to lower levels of depressive symptoms. Further, levels of belonging to each community interacted, indicating that sense of belonging to the lesbian community was protective for bisexual women with lower, but not higher, levels of sense of belonging to the heterosexual community. Results imply that increasing belonging to the lesbian community is important for bisexual women who do not feel they belong in the heterosexual community. The challenge is how to increase sense of belonging of bisexual women in the lesbian community, where they are exposed to negative attitudes about their sexuality. © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
The fatigue and depressive symptom relationship in mothers of young children : The moderating role of mindfulness
- Authors: Riley, Kym , Gent, Angela , McLaren, Suzanne , Caunt, Jeremy , Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Mindfulness Vol. 9, no. 6 (2018), p. 1955-1965
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Previous studies have demonstrated that fatigue is a risk factor for depressive symptoms in mothers of young children. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the five facets of mindfulness moderated the relationship between fatigue and depressive symptoms in mothers of young children. A sample of 723 mothers of children aged 1–5 years completed the Fatigue Assessment Scale, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form. Results showed that four out of the five mindfulness facets (non-judging of inner experience, non-reactivity to inner experience, acting with awareness, and describing) weakened the relationship between fatigue and depressive symptoms. Interaction effects were found to be small. Further investigation of the unique roles of the five mindfulness facets as well as other possible protective factors and interventions that may weaken the fatigue-depressive symptom relationship in mothers of young children is warranted.
Marital status and problem gambling among Australian older adults : The mediating role of loneliness
- Authors: Botterill, Emma , Gill, Peter , McLaren, Suzanne , Gomez, Rapson
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gambling Studies Vol. 32, no. 3 (2016), p. 1027-1038
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Problem gambling rates in older adults have risen dramatically in recent years and require further investigation. Limited available research has suggested that social needs may motivate gambling and hence problem gambling in older adults. Un-partnered older adults may be at greater risk of problem gambling than those with a partner. The current study explored whether loneliness mediated the marital status-problem gambling relationship, and whether gender moderated the mediation model. It was hypothesised that the relationship between being un-partnered and higher levels of loneliness would be stronger for older men than older women. A community sample of Australian men (n = 92) and women (n = 91) gamblers aged from 60 to 90 years (M = 69.75, SD = 7.28) completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Problem Gambling Severity Index. The results supported the moderated mediation model, with loneliness mediating the relationship between marital status and problem gambling for older men but not for older women. It appears that felt loneliness is an important predictor of problem gambling in older adults, and that meeting the social and emotional needs of un-partnered men is important.