Identity centrality as a double-edged sword: mental health mechanisms among lesbian/gay and bisexual university students in China.
This study investigated the mechanisms underlying mental health risks among lesbian/gay (LG) and bisexual university students in China, focusing on the roles of sexual identity centrality, identity uncertainty, and interpersonal discrimination in depressive symptoms.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 363 university students (142 LG students and 221 bisexual). Group differences were examined, and structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect associations among sexual orientation, sexual identity centrality, identity uncertainty, interpersonal discrimination, and depressive symptoms.
Compared with LG participants, bisexual participants reported lower identity centrality, higher identity uncertainty, and fewer experiences of interpersonal discrimination, whereas no significant group difference was found in depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling indicated that identity uncertainty and interpersonal discrimination jointly mediated the association between bisexuality and depressive symptoms, with the two indirect effects operating in opposite directions and forming a competing mediation effect. Sexual identity centrality showed a double-edged role: it was associated with lower identity uncertainty but greater interpersonal discrimination, which in turn were differentially associated with depressive symptoms.
These findings reveal complex and divergent mechanisms linking sexual orientation and mental health among Chinese sexual minority university students. They also suggest that clinical interventions and future research should attend to both intrapersonal identity-related processes and interpersonal minority stress experiences when addressing depressive symptoms among LGB young adults.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 363 university students (142 LG students and 221 bisexual). Group differences were examined, and structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect associations among sexual orientation, sexual identity centrality, identity uncertainty, interpersonal discrimination, and depressive symptoms.
Compared with LG participants, bisexual participants reported lower identity centrality, higher identity uncertainty, and fewer experiences of interpersonal discrimination, whereas no significant group difference was found in depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling indicated that identity uncertainty and interpersonal discrimination jointly mediated the association between bisexuality and depressive symptoms, with the two indirect effects operating in opposite directions and forming a competing mediation effect. Sexual identity centrality showed a double-edged role: it was associated with lower identity uncertainty but greater interpersonal discrimination, which in turn were differentially associated with depressive symptoms.
These findings reveal complex and divergent mechanisms linking sexual orientation and mental health among Chinese sexual minority university students. They also suggest that clinical interventions and future research should attend to both intrapersonal identity-related processes and interpersonal minority stress experiences when addressing depressive symptoms among LGB young adults.