Insa Backhaus1,2, Sarah K Lipson3, Lauren B Fisher4, Ichiro Kawachi2, Paola Pedrelli4,5. 1. Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. 2. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 3. Department of Health Law Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 4. Department of Psychiatry, Depression Clinical Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 5. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of sexual orientation, history of sexual assault and sense of belonging on depression and suicidality among lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning (LGBQ) and heterosexual students. Participants: A total of 60,194 students from 60 US campuses who participated in the 2017-2018 Healthy Minds Study. Methods: Three-way interaction effects were analyzed using PROCESS macro models in SPSS. Results: Significant three-way interaction effects were found for sexual orientation, sexual assault and sense of belonging predicting depressive symptoms (b = -0.06, p= 0.042, CI: -0.12 to -0.00), and suicidality (b = -0.10, p= 0.004, CI: -0.01 to -0.003). The effect of sexual assault on mental health differed depending on sexual orientation and sense of belonging. Particularly among LGBQ students, high sense of belonging was protective in the presence of sexual assault, and its absence had a deleterious effect on mental health. Conclusion: Enhancing sense of belonging may represent a strategy to mitigate depression and promote suicide prevention, particularly among LGBQ students.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of sexual orientation, history of sexual assault and sense of belonging on depression and suicidality among lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning (LGBQ) and heterosexual students. Participants: A total of 60,194 students from 60 US campuses who participated in the 2017-2018 Healthy Minds Study. Methods: Three-way interaction effects were analyzed using PROCESS macro models in SPSS. Results: Significant three-way interaction effects were found for sexual orientation, sexual assault and sense of belonging predicting depressive symptoms (b = -0.06, p= 0.042, CI: -0.12 to -0.00), and suicidality (b = -0.10, p= 0.004, CI: -0.01 to -0.003). The effect of sexual assault on mental health differed depending on sexual orientation and sense of belonging. Particularly among LGBQ students, high sense of belonging was protective in the presence of sexual assault, and its absence had a deleterious effect on mental health. Conclusion: Enhancing sense of belonging may represent a strategy to mitigate depression and promote suicide prevention, particularly among LGBQ students.
Entities:
Keywords:
College students; LGBQ; depression; sense of belonging; sexual assault; suicidality
Authors: Maryam Hussain; Angela E Johnson; Jacqueline Hua; Bianca M Hinojosa; Matthew J Zawadzki; Jennifer L Howell Journal: J Behav Med Date: 2021-04-27