Complex Networks of Social Support: Exploring the Roles of Parents, Families, and Mentors in the Lives of Young Adult Gay and Bisexual Men.

Abstract

Various structural, interactional, and functional characteristics of young adult (18-29 year-old) gay and bisexual men’s (YGBM) social support networks remain unexamined in the public health literature. Without clearer understanding of the parent, family, and mentor roles in the lives of YGBM, the linkages between social support and health status also remain unclear. These linkages may be critical to understand given the health disparities impacting YGBM. In the first study, I explored the roles of perceived maternal and paternal social support in YGBM’s substance use behaviors. I examined the associations between parental supports and substance use and tested a stress-buffering hypothesis examining if supports moderated the associations between sexuality-based victimization and substance use. Results indicated that neither maternal nor paternal supports moderated these associations. However, in main effects models, maternal and paternal supports were associated with abstinence from cigarette smoking and marijuana use, respectively. In the second study, I explored how YGBM defined their families, and examined whether perceived familial social support and familial social undermining were associated with psychological distress among YGBM within and across different family types. Results indicated that support and undermining were negatively and positively associated, respectively, with depression and anxiety. These associations varied with respect to the type of family that YGBM defined, suggesting that family network content plays a role in shaping perceptions of support and undermining. In the third study, based on qualitative interviews with providers, I explored the role of mentors in the lives of young Black and Latino men who have sex with men (YBLMSM). Results indicated several issues, including homophobia and lack of visibility, influencing development of mentoring relationships by creating opportunities and barriers for social connections. Mentors also served multiples purposes in the lives of YBLMSM, acting as role models and contributing to the psychological well-being and the social and economic advancement of YBLMSM. My findings underscore the need to consider the role of mothers and fathers, families of origin and chosen families, and mentors in the health and well-being of YBLMSM. Overall, I also demonstrate that YBLMSM are embedded in rich but also complex networks of social support.