Long-term mental health correlates of socialsupportive relationships in a lesbian, gay, and bisexual sample

Social support cultivates mental health, but little is known about how social support is experienced in individuals with a stigmatised identity, such as those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). The present study explored how specific elements of social support: reliance, feeling understood, and support for self-expression, experienced within parent, friend, and romantic relationships, relate to long-term mental health in an LGB sample. Responses were provided across 2 years by individuals who self-identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual in the nationally-representative dataset- Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). We predicted that having close relationships higher in social support would be linked to better general mental health 2 years after support was measured. Models partially supported hypotheses: broadly speaking, social support from friends, family, and romantic partners associated significantly with mental health measured at baseline and two years later, when relationships were considered separately. Of these, support for self-expression as provided by families were most robust even in models with conservative baseline and other relationship controls.

Automated summary

This study examined the impact of social support on the mental health of individuals with a stigmatised identity as LGB. Results indicated that support for self-expression from families was most crucial in parent, friend, and romantic relationships.