Subtle and blatant perceived discrimination and well-being in lesbians and gay men in Spain: The role of social support.

BACKGROUND

The situation of lesbians and gay men (LGs) in Spain has improved significantly in recent decades. However, Spanish society still exhibits prejudice and discrimination. The current study pursues three main goals: 1) to analyse the extent to which LGs perceive blatant and subtle discrimination, 2) to explore the relationship between perceived discrimination and LGs’ psychological and subjective well-being, and 3) to analyse the possible mediational role of social support in reducing the negative influence of perceived discrimination on well-being.

METHOD

The sample comprised 237 lesbians and 232 gay men.

RESULTS

The results show higher perceived subtle than blatant discrimination, and that subtle discrimination affects LGs’ well-being more negatively than blatant discrimination. Results show that social support helps to alleviate the negative effects of discrimination on well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

These results are important and may contribute to the design of interventions to improve the well-being of lesbians and gay men.