کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
952461 927516 2012 8 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Social networks and risk for depressive symptoms in a national sample of sexual minority youth
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم پزشکی و سلامت پزشکی و دندانپزشکی سیاست های بهداشت و سلامت عمومی
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Social networks and risk for depressive symptoms in a national sample of sexual minority youth
چکیده انگلیسی

The aim of the study was to examine the social networks of sexual minority youths and to determine the associations between social networks and depressive symptoms. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative cohort study of American adolescents (N = 14,212). Wave 1 (1994–1995) collected extensive information about the social networks of participants through peer nomination inventories, as well as measures of sexual minority status and depressive symptoms. Using social network data, we examined three characteristics of adolescents' social relationships: (1) social isolation; (2) degree of connectedness; and (3) social status. Sexual minority youths, particularly females, were more isolated, less connected, and had lower social status in peer networks than opposite-sex attracted youths. Among sexual minority male (but not female) youths, greater isolation as well as lower connectedness and status within a network were associated with greater depressive symptoms. Moreover, greater isolation in social networks partially explained the association between sexual minority status and depressive symptoms among males. Finally, a significant 3-way interaction indicated that the association between social isolation and depression was stronger for sexual minority male youths than non-minority youths and sexual minority females. These results suggest that the social networks in which sexual minority male youths are embedded may confer risk for depressive symptoms, underscoring the importance of considering peer networks in both research and interventions targeting sexual minority male adolescents.


► We examined associations between social networks and depressive symptoms among sexual minority youth in a national sample.
► Sexual minority youths' social networks were more isolated, less connected, and of lower status than majority youths' networks.
► These characteristics of social networks are strongly associated with depressive symptoms among sexual minority males.
► Isolated social networks mediate the association between sexual minority status and depressive symptoms among males.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Social Science & Medicine - Volume 75, Issue 7, October 2012, Pages 1184–1191
نویسندگان
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