School of Health Sciences, University of Ballarat, Mt. Helen, Victoria, Australia.
J Homosex. 2013;60(1):1-15. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2013.735933.
Researchers have demonstrated that age is related to depression among gay men and lesbians, with younger adults experiencing more depression than older adults. Other researchers have indicated that a sense of belonging is related to lower levels of depression. This study investigated whether sense of belonging to the gay and lesbian community moderates and mediates the relationship between age and depressive symptoms among gay men and lesbians. An Australian sample of self-identified gay men (n = 346) and lesbians (n = 270) completed the Psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results indicated that age and sense of belonging were directly and independently related to depressive symptoms for gay men and lesbians. In addition, for lesbians only, sense of belonging moderated the age-depressive symptom relation. For lesbians with low levels of sense belonging to the lesbian community, age was not associated with depressive symptoms. In contrast, for lesbians with high levels of sense of belonging to the lesbian community, the association between sense of belonging and depressive symptoms decreased with increasing age. Encouraging gay men and lesbians (especially younger lesbians) to become involved in the gay and lesbian community is likely to be beneficial for their mental health.
研究人员已经证明,年龄与男同性恋者和女同性恋者的抑郁有关,年轻的成年人比年长的成年人经历更多的抑郁。其他研究人员指出,归属感与较低的抑郁水平有关。本研究调查了同性恋群体的归属感是否调节和中介了男同性恋者和女同性恋者的年龄与抑郁症状之间的关系。一个澳大利亚的自我认同男同性恋者(n=346)和女同性恋者(n=270)样本完成了归属感量表的心理分量表和流行病学研究抑郁量表。结果表明,年龄和归属感与男同性恋者和女同性恋者的抑郁症状直接且独立相关。此外,对于女同性恋者来说,归属感调节了年龄与抑郁症状之间的关系。对于归属感低的女同性恋者来说,年龄与抑郁症状无关。相比之下,对于归属感高的女同性恋者来说,归属感与抑郁症状的关系随着年龄的增长而减弱。鼓励男同性恋者和女同性恋者(尤其是年轻的女同性恋者)参与同性恋群体,可能对他们的心理健康有益。