Attachment, Internalized Homonegativity, and Depressive Symptoms in Chilean Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Emerging Adults.
Emerging adulthood represents a period of life characterized by a high prevalence of mental health problems, including depressive symptoms. This is especially evident among sexual minority individuals who continue to face discrimination despite increasing societal acceptance. Attachment insecurity, which has been widely recognized as a vulnerability factor for mental health problems, may play a key role in how sexual minority individuals experience and cope with stress, particularly in relation to the internalization of negative beliefs regarding one's sexual orientation. Nevertheless, we are not aware of previous studies that have considered internalized homonegativity when investigating the connection between attachment insecurity and depressive symptoms in this group. We used structural equation modeling to explore the cross-sectional direct and indirect associations between attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) and depressive symptoms through internalized homonegativity in a sample of 536 Chilean emerging adults self-identified as gay, lesbian and bisexual. Our analyses revealed that higher attachment insecurity was associated with higher depressive symptoms directly and indirectly. Specifically, higher attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were linked to greater internalized homonegativity, and thus to higher depressive symptoms. The theoretical and clinical implications of our findings are discussed.
Authors
Guzmán-González Guzmán-González, Moya-Vergara Moya-Vergara, Valarezo-Bravo Valarezo-Bravo, Gómez Gómez, Barrientos Barrientos
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