Pemikiran Bunuh Diri dalam Kalangan Lelaki Gay yang Mengalami Kemurungan: Satu Kajian Kes

Gay men are among high-risk minority groups that are vulnerable to depression and suicidality, having three times the rate of depression compared to the general adult population. They are also at high risk for suicidality. Despite the high prevalence of such disorders, medical practitioners have tended to focus more on aspects related to diseases and their medical treatment and rarely explore factors contributing to those mental issues. In general, gay men have weak coping strategies when dealing with mental health issues. This research explores a single case study of a gay male who had depression that led to suicidal thoughts. SBQ-R is used to measure the level of suicidal thoughts, and in-depth interviews were employed to explore the risk factors contributing to suicide ideation. The findings show that risk factors underlying depression and suicidality among gay men include lack of family acceptance of their sexual identities, low social support, internalized homophobia, and societal stigma. The paper discusses in detail the barriers preventing gay men from seeking help as well as how mental health practitioners might advance the well-being of this underserved minority group by effectively addressing depression and suicidality. Abstrak Lelaki gay adalah kumpulan minoriti berisiko tinggi yang terdedah kepada kemurungan dan bunuh diri. Jumlah kemurungan dalam kalangan lelaki gay adalah tiga kali lebih tinggi daripada populasi dewasa umum. Mereka juga berisiko tinggi untuk bunuh diri. Walaupun terdapat kemunculan kemurungan dan bunuh diri yang tinggi, pengamal perubatan cenderung memberi tumpuan kepada masalah kesihatan seperti virus dan ubat-ubatan tetapi jarang sekali mereka menekankan faktor-faktor yang menyebabkan mereka mengalami kemurungan. Justeru itu, lelaki gay mempunyai strategi daya tindak yang negatif ketika menangani masalah kesihatan mental. Kajian ini meneroka satu kajian kes lelaki gay yang mengalami kemurungan dan membawa kepada pemikiran bunuh diri. Inventori Kecenderungan Bunuh Diri (IKBD) telah digunakan untuk mengukur kecenderungan pemikiran bunuh diri dan temubual mendalam untuk meneroka faktor risiko yang menyumbang kepada ideasi bunuh diri. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan terdapat beberapa faktor risiko kemurungan dan bunuh diri dalam kalangan lelaki gay termasuk kekurangan penerimaan keluarga berkaitan identiti seksual mereka, sokongan sosial, budaya homofobia, dan stigma masyarakat. Halangan untuk mendapatkan bantuan juga dibincangkan secara terperinci, bagaimana pengamal kesihatan mental dapat membantu mengatasi kemurungan dan bunuh diri dan seterusnya mencapai kesejahteraan mental kumpulan minoriti yang kurang terlindung ini.

Perceção de homofobia e discriminação da comunidade LGBTQIA+ no contexto da disciplina de Educação Física em Portugal

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate internalized homophobia and the feeling of everyday discrimination among LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) community in physical education. Methods: Qualitative, quantitative, and exploratory study was used on a convenience sample, non-probabilistic, carried out from May 2021 to July 2021. One hundred eighty individuals, aged between 18 and 60, participated in the study by answering a sociodemographic questionnaire, a questionnaire evaluating comfort with sexual identity (the Internalized Homophobia Scale), and the Everyday Discrimination Scale. Results: Regarding the evaluation of internalized homophobia, the perception of external stigma presented moderate to high correlations with the variables associated with discrimination in school settings and physical education classes. It was possible to confirm statistically significant sex differences in favorite sports practiced in physical education classes, where girls preferred group contact sports and boys preferred individual/non-contact sports. Through qualitative analysis was noticeable that most participants recalled homophobic rhetoric from classmates during physical education classes. Conclusions: There is a need for a greater understanding of gender differences and physical education practice. Concerns arise associated with the abandonment of physical exercise or sport due to the discrimination felt by young students. Future studies should analyze the perspective of those involved in the development of the physical education curriculum, taking into account the evolution of society.

Psychosocial Challenges and Protective Factors Among MSM Living with HIV: An Integrative Review of the Literature Using an Intersectional Framework

Objective: Given the emerging data on intersecting identities involving men who have sex with men (MSM) with respect to various factors, there lies a need to include one’s human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status in this intersection, given the experience of stigmatization and inequalities. This integrative review covers psychosocial risk and protective factors experienced by MSM of HIV-positive status, while also considering other intersecting identities (e.g., ethnicity, older age). Method: Following a standardized search inquiry, 2139 records were identified and narrowed down to 24 peer reviewed articles. Results: Psychological and social protective factors such as positive mental health outcomes; lessened or resolved internalized homophobia; social networks in younger and older MSM, with a discussion on the contextually relevant impact that religion has among Black MSM. Some risk factors such as co-occurring stigmas, psychological distress, exposure to violence, and trauma are explained.Implications: These immediate findings highlight factors that contribute to resilient pathways among ethnic minorities, and of other intersections among sexual minority men. In order to mitigate risks, developing tailoredinterventions with a focus on co-occurring and syndemic stigmas is crucial, to help ensure the psychological and social well-being of diverse HIV-positive MSM. An adapted version to the minority stress model is thus presented.

Suicidal ideation in LGBT youth: a literature review

A review of the literature on experiences and meanings surrounding suicide ideation in LGBT youth was conducted. It was found that a large part of the studies were carried out in Anglo-Saxon populations that tended to compare "heteronormative" with "non-heteronormative" populations, through eminently quantitative designs, where the main results were greater vulnerability in comparison to the heterosexual population, internalized homophobia and rejection of one's own sexual orientation. Social and family vulnerability that fed the experience of diverse violence in different areas of their lives. In addition, alcohol and drugs were predictors of suicidal ideation. These living conditions favored mood disturbances and affected mental health, as well as a tendency to develop self-injurious behaviors. However, family and social support were protective against suicidal ideation. Few authors used the recognized categories within the LGBT community to describe their participants, the category most commonly used was "non-heteronormative population", tending to reproduce heterosexist models. Most of the papers on experiences and meanings did not give their participants a voice.

Family Support and Sociocultural Factors on Depression among Black and Latinx Sexual Minority Men

Family-based approaches are critical for improving health outcomes in sexual minority men (SMM) of color. Yet, it is unclear how family context, internalized homophobia, and stress influence mental health outcomes among sexual minority men of color. From a cross-sectional sample of 448 participants, aged 16–24 years, survey data were analyzed to examine rates of family social support, the perception of sexuality by family, the stressfulness of life events, internalized homophobia, and other contextual variables on depression using linear regression. Our results indicated that an 86% increase in family social support was related to a −0.14 decrease in depression (ß = −0.14, p = 0.004). In addition, SMM who were separated by family and friends because of their sexuality were statistically significant and positively associated with depression (ß = 0.09, p < 0.001). Findings from our study suggest that the influence from the microsystem is salient in modifying mental health outcomes for SMM of color.

Measuring Gender Role Conflict, Internalized Stigma, and Racial and Sexual Identity in Behaviorally Bisexual Black Men

Black men who have sex with men and women (BMSMW) experience pressure to fill hypermasculine ideals and may not identify with “gay” cultural norms. Existing measures of gender role expectations and internalized homophobia are not culturally appropriate for BMSMW. Researchers generally measure categorical identification with race, gender, and sexual orientation groups separately, whereas BMSMW may identify with multiple categories. We modified the Gender Role Conflict Scale to create the M-GRCS and the Internalized Homophobia Scale to include biphobia (Internalized Bi/Homophobia Scale, IBHS). To examine identification at the intersection of race, gender, and sexual orientation, we created 11 Integrated Race and Sexuality Scale (IRSS) items. With data from 429 BMSMW, we conducted exploratory factor analysis of the 59 items using categorical principal axis factoring with unweighted least squares extraction and Promax factor rotation. We created simple-summated multi-item scales and evaluated their construct validity. The rotated solution yielded four factors with 47 items and a simple factor structure: M-GRCS defined two factors (α = .93 for restricted emotionality/affection; .87 for success/power/competition); the IBHS (α = .89) and IRSS (α = .74) each defined a single factor. The IRSS factor was positively correlated with the Lukwago Racial Pride Scale, r(417) = .40. The IBHS factor was negatively correlated with the IRSS factor, r(414) = − .22. The two M-GRCS factors suggest that the construct of hypermasculinity impacts BMSMW. The high IBHS reliability indicates that homophobia and biphobia were positively correlated in this sample. These three scales have potential for future studies with BMSMW.