Negative Family Treatment's Effects on the Well-being of Sexual Minority Women and Transmen in Viet Nam, and the Roles of Sexuality-related Social Support and Social Connection

Embargo until
2015-08-01
Date
2014-07-08
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
Background: Research linking family rejection to sexual/gender minority health is currently limited to a few studies using samples from Western countries, with transgender populations under-represented. Methods: Data were from an online survey of adult Vietnamese sexual minority women (SMW) and transmen. Latent class analysis (N=2664) was conducted to suggest latent classes of family treatment experience. Latent class regression identified predictors of latent family treatment classes (N=2459); evaluated the associations between family treatment and health/well-being, and identified differences by gender identity (N=2496); and assessed social support and social connection as moderators/mediators of such associations in the SMW sub-sample (N=1949). Results: Data supported six latent classes including one of non-negative and five of negative family treatment. Younger age, transman identity, religious affiliation, and parent awareness of non-heterosexuality predicted being in worse classes. Overall, negative family treatment predicted lower life satisfaction, poorer mental health and increased suicidality and substance use. There were differences by gender identity: (i) among SMW only the most negative class had elevated odds of substance use, but for transmen three negative classes did; and (ii) for life satisfaction and mental health, there is a ‘the more negative the treatment, the worse the outcome’ trend in SMW, but in transmen only the second most negative class was associated with worse outcomes. In the full sample, three negative classes had elevated odds of suicide attempts, the second most negative class having the highest odds. In SMW, sexuality-related social support and connection to other SMW predicted well-being, with stronger associations for social support. Connection to other SMW predicted substance use. Evidence were not found for moderation, but were found for mediation: negative family treatment predicted connection to other SMW, which in turn predicted both well-being and substance use. Conclusions: Results support the hypothesis that negative family treatment is harmful for health/well-being. SMW networks should be targeted to increase the effectiveness and availability of support. Areas for future research include: (i) family reactions to persons of different age ranges; (ii) experience and outcomes in segments of the population that are more isolated, living outside of urban areas, without internet access, and with multiple sources of stress; (iii) the lack of a moderation effect of social support in this family-oriented culture; (iv) the role of other types of support providers e.g., parents-like others; and (v) mechanisms underlying the associations between connection to other SMW and substance use.
Description
Keywords
LGBT, sexual minority women, lesbian, transgender, transmen, family rejection, family reactions, negative family treatment, social support, social connection, life satisfaction, mental health, suicide, substance use, smoking, alcohol use, latent class analysis, latent class regression, latent class with distal outcome
Citation