Gordon Jacob D, Whitfield Darren L, Mammadli Tural, Escobar-Viera César G
Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.
School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States.
JMIR Form Res. 2023 Oct 20;7:e51702. doi: 10.2196/51702.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals experience a disproportionately higher prevalence of mental health challenges when compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. Moreover, they exhibit increased engagement with social media platforms relative to their peers. Understanding the intersectional dynamics of their identities is crucial in elucidating effective and safe approaches to garnering social support through social media channels. This exploration holds significance for informing future research endeavors and shaping targeted interventions to address the unique mental health needs of LGBTQ+ individuals.
The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies used by Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White LGBTQ+ young adults to acquire social support from social media. The study aimed to examine how these strategies may differ by race and ethnicity.
We conducted semistructured interviews with LGBTQ+ young adults aged between 18 and 30 years recruited in the United States from social media. Of 52 participants, 12 (23%) were Black, 12 (23%) were Hispanic, and 28 (54%) were non-Hispanic White. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data.
The analysis uncovered both divergent and convergent strategies among participants of different races and ethnicities. Black and Hispanic young adults exhibited a preference for connecting with individuals who shared similar identities, seeking safety and tailored advice. Conversely, non-Hispanic White participants demonstrated minimal preference for identity-based advice. Seeking support from anonymous sources emerged as a strategy to avoid unwanted disclosure among Hispanic participants. Furthermore, all participants emphasized the importance of content filtering with family members to cultivate positive and supportive social media experiences.
This study sheds light on the strategies used by LGBTQ+ individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds to seek social support from social media platforms. The findings underscore the importance of considering race and ethnicity when examining social support-seeking behaviors on social media in LGBTQ+ populations. The identified strategies provide valuable insights for the development of interventions that aim to leverage social support from social media to benefit the mental health of Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White LGBTQ+ young adults.
与异性恋和顺性别同龄人相比，女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别和酷儿（LGBTQ+）群体面临心理健康挑战的比例要高得多。此外，与同龄人相比，他们在社交媒体平台上的参与度更高。了解他们身份的交叉动态对于阐明通过社交媒体渠道获得社会支持的有效和安全方法至关重要。这一探索对于为未来的研究工作提供信息以及制定有针对性的干预措施以满足LGBTQ+群体独特的心理健康需求具有重要意义。
本研究的目的是探索黑人、西班牙裔和非西班牙裔白人LGBTQ+青年成年人从社交媒体获得社会支持所使用的策略。该研究旨在考察这些策略在种族和族裔方面可能存在的差异。
我们对从美国社交媒体招募的18至30岁的LGBTQ+青年成年人进行了半结构化访谈。在52名参与者中，12名（23%）是黑人，12名（23%）是西班牙裔，28名（54%）是非西班牙裔白人。采用主题分析法对收集到的数据进行分析。
分析发现不同种族和族裔的参与者既有不同的策略，也有趋同的策略。黑人和西班牙裔青年成年人表现出更倾向于与身份相似的人建立联系，寻求安全感和量身定制的建议。相反，非西班牙裔白人参与者对基于身份的建议表现出极低的偏好。向匿名来源寻求支持成为西班牙裔参与者避免不必要披露的一种策略。此外，所有参与者都强调与家庭成员进行内容过滤以营造积极和支持性的社交媒体体验的重要性。
本研究揭示了不同种族和族裔背景的LGBTQ+群体从社交媒体平台寻求社会支持所使用的策略。研究结果强调了在研究LGBTQ+群体在社交媒体上寻求社会支持行为时考虑种族和族裔的重要性。所确定的策略为制定旨在利用社交媒体的社会支持来促进黑人、西班牙裔和非西班牙裔白人LGBTQ+青年成年人心理健康的干预措施提供了有价值的见解。
