Adolescent Same-Sex Attraction and Mental Health: The Role of Stress and Support

Abstract

This study draws on the social stress model from the sociology of mental health to examine the impact of same-sex attraction on depressed mood and suicidal tendencies. Specifically, we hypothesize that across multiple contexts, adolescents with same-sex attractions are likely to experience more social stress and less social support than heterosexual adolescents. In turn, these experiences increase the likelihood of negative mental health outcomes. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 11,911), we find that adolescents with same-sex attraction are more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to report depressed mood and suicidal tendencies. Moreover, stress and social support were found to mediate a substantial part of the relationship between same-sex attraction and depressed mood. In addition, stress and social support mediated about one third of the relationship between same-sex attraction and suicidal tendencies. These findings give strong support for the social stress model. We conclude with a discussion of the role that alienation plays in same-sex-attracted adolescent mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Same-sex attraction
• social stress model
• depressed mood
• suicidal tendencies
• alienation

Notes

1. The majority of those coded as “suicidal” reported only suicidal thoughts. Out of the 226 respondents coded as suicidal, 78 had attempted suicide, with 19 of those attempts requiring medical treatment.

Studies use a variety of measures with regard to suicide—each may focus on various aspects of attempts or ideation. In order to overcome the multitude of definitions, we operationalize this measure as broadly as possible in order to incorporate both attempts and ideation. For a thorough discussion of this issue, see Savin-Williams, (2001).

This method is consistent with the prior literature on sexuality and mental health and combines gay and bisexual individuals based on same-sex romantic attraction (e.g., see Russell & Joyner, 2001).

The Add Health data had no identified reliable measures of homophobia. As a consequence, the extent and consequences of this phenomenon remain an issue for future research.