Primary Submission Category: LGBTQ+
Examining the Relationship Between Sexual Minority Status and Sources of Social Support
Authors: Tai Simpson, Kaylee Wilson, Stephanie Hernandez,
Presenting Author: Tai Simpson*
Background: Social support is considered a protective factor against negative physical and mental health outcomes. However, the disparities that exist in the source of support have not been widely explored for sexual minorities (SMs).
Objective: This study examines social support disparities between SMs and non-SMs in the U.S., disaggregating by social support sources.
Methods: We used data from Wave V respondents (aged 33-44) in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (2016-2018). Analyses were restricted to participants who had no missing information on SM status and covariates, in addition to having complete information on social support from at least one source. Our final analytic sample consisted of 10,154 participants who were split into subgroups based on the source of support from friends (n = 9,878), spouse (n = 8,639), and family (n = 10,026). We examined associations between SM status and social support separated between sources of support by friends, spouse, or family using binary logistic regression.
Results: Sexual minorities had lower rates of reporting at least one form of social support from spouses, friends, and family compared to non-sexual minorities, but these differences were only significant for social support from family (SM = 84%; non-SM = 91%, p = 0.004). After adjusting for sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, sexual minorities were 45% less likely to report social support from their families (p = 0.01) than those who did not identify as a SM. No significant differences in spousal support or friend support were found.
Conclusion: Sexual minorities experience less social support from their families, underscoring the importance of community support and chosen family in ensuring the health and wellbeing of SMs. This also emphasizes the need for targeted interventions and policies that support building community within SM communities.