TY - JOUR PY - 2020// TI - Association of sexual minority status, gender nonconformity with childhood victimization and adulthood depressive symptoms: a path analysis JO - Child abuse and neglect A1 - Zhao, Meijun A1 - Xiao, Di A1 - Wang, Wanxin A1 - Wu, Ruipeng A1 - Dewaele, Alexis A1 - Zhang, Weihong A1 - Buysse, Ann A1 - Song, Chao A1 - Guo, Lan A1 - Lu, Ciyong SP - e104822 EP - e104822 VL - 111 IS - N2 - BACKGROUND: Sexual minority status and childhood gender nonconformity have been associated with elevated risks of childhood adversities and poorer mental health. OBJECTIVE: To explore how abuse and bullying explain the disparities in the associations of sexual minority status and childhood gender nonconformity with adulthood depressive symptoms in men. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-report questionnaire among Chinese adult men (18-35 years) who were identified as heterosexual (n = 873) and sexual minority (n = 858) in Guangzhou from 2017 to 2019. METHODS: Structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted for path analysis. RESULTS: The levels of exposure to childhood maltreatment were higher in sexual minorities than in straight men, and sexual minority status predicted an increased risk of depressive symptoms via childhood maltreatment (indirect effect: β = 0.026, p = 0.004). Meanwhile, childhood gender nonconformity predicted higher depressive symptoms via both family (indirect effect: β = 0.042, p < 0.001) and school (indirect effect: β = 0.028, p < 0.001) victimization, and there was a direct effect (β = 0.154, p < 0.001) of gender nonconformity on depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Sexual minority status and gender nonconformity are indicators of men's increased risk of childhood victimization and adulthood depressive symptoms. As a result, intervention based on both family and school dimensions needs to be developed.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0145-2134 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104822 ID - ref1 ER -