A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support

Zheng Zhang; Fang He; Shiyun Liu; Haonan Tang; Jiaxiang Li; Jilin Zou

doi:doi:10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

| Peer-Reviewed

A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support

Zheng Zhang, Fang He, Shiyun Liu, Haonan Tang, Jiaxiang Li, Jilin Zou

Published in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 2)

Received: 11 March 2021 Accepted: 23 March 2021 Published: 30 March 2021

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Background: The long history of diversified population structure has brought the inclusiveness in Chinese culture, but in the other hand Confucian culture give birth to the conformism and moderation. The rapidly changing modern society and increasing opportunities to interact with different cultures have made the younger generation in China more open, but the overall environment has not receded to maintain and adhere to the traditional view of marriage and love, only heterosexuality is normal, has created cognitive clashes and more implicit social conflicts. In such a complex environment, homosexuals who have been outside the mainstream values for ages are apt to face more personal adaptability and mental health problems, which are more obvious in the two psychological qualities of self-identity and loneliness. Methods: We practiced mixed method to research, using perceived social support scale, loneliness scale, gay self-identity questionnaire and semi-structured interview questionnaire as tools, had measured 1962 individuals of different sexual orientation to carry on the survey, and deeply interviewed seven subjects including researchers, encode and establish models according to the collected information. Results: (1) Gay and bisexual men had significant gender main effect on self-identity, and female group had higher self-identity than male. Homosexuals' loneliness, social support and self-identity have significant residential landlord effects. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The level of education affects the loneliness and perceived social support of individuals with different sexual tendencies (2) Perceived social support has negative correlation with loneliness in different groups the coefficient is 0.56-0.66, the higher the perceived social support the lower the loneliness. (3) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between coming out and loneliness, gender moderated the correlation of perceived social support and loneliness. (4) The phenomenon of gender role division exists in various kinds of the non-heterosexual group, and there is no unified operational definition, which can be evaluated through multi-dimensional evaluation. (5) Gender and age have effect on the behavior of coming out, senior female are the last group to come out, exactly contrary to the young men. Certain orders and stages consist in coming-out, in a general way, self-identity is the starting point of coming-out, and the process is influenced by social support, economic conditions, family and more factors.

Published in	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
Page(s)	63-80
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Homosexual, Self-identity, Loneliness, Perceived Social Support, Coming out, Gender

References

[1]	Ritch, C. & Williams, S. (2016). Sexual Orientation: Categories or Continuum? Commentary on Bailey et al.. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17 (2).
[2]	Lamanna, M. A. et al. (2014) Marriages, Families, and Relationships: Making Choices in a Diverse Society. Cengage Learning: 82.
[3]	Rosario, M.. et al, L. (2006). Sexual identity development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths: Consistency and change over time. Journal of Sex Research. 43 (1), 46–58.
[4]	Li, Y. H. (2009). Homosexuality subculture. Hohhot: Inner Mongolia University Press: 24-65.
[5]	Li, Z. (2006) Respect their world——Reading Li Yinhe's Homosexuality Subculture. Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities, 28 (z2): 145-146, 166.
[6]	Qazi, R. &Glenn D. W. (2003). Born gay? The psychobiology of human sexual orientation. Personality and Individual Differences. 2003, 34 (8): 1337–82.
[7]	Yu, W. & Feng, T. J. Research progress on the biological causes of male homosexuality. Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics, 2012, 29 (2): 172-175.
[8]	Yu, M. H. & Wang, X. D. (2015) Research progress on the causes of male homosexuality. Chinese Sexual Sciences, (6): 119-122.
[9]	Wang X. J & Wen J. H. (2002) Theoretical Discussion on the Causes of Homosexuality. Medicine and Philosophy, (4): 1-4.
[10]	Wang, J. Y. et al. (2008) The biological causes of homosexuality. Guangzhou Medicine, (01): 44-46.
[11]	Bai, X. H. (2008) The influence of the Internet on the way of homosexual interaction and identity. Jilin University.
[12]	Wang Liyuan. A study on the self-identity of gay college students from the perspective of social work. Chinese Sexual Sciences, 2016, 25 (9): 139-143.
[13]	Yang, L & Xie, Y. J. (2011) A qualitative study on the development of homosexual men’s self-identity. Chinese Sexual Sciences, 20 (05): 42-45+58.
[14]	Cass, V. C. (1984). Homosexual Identity Formation: Testing a Theoretical Model. The Journal of Sex Research, 20 (2): 143 -167.
[15]	Anthony R. D. (2002). Mental Health Problems among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youths Ages. Sage Publications, 7 (3). 14-21.
[16]	Wang, Q. F. (2013). The evolution of the meaning of "coming out", theoretical explanation and empirical research. Academic Forum, 36 (01): 76-82.
[17]	Wang, Q. F. (2011). Acknowledgement and not "coming out"-A survey of the living conditions of homosexuals. Journal of China Agricultural University (Social Science Edition), 28 (04): 142-153.
[18]	Jing, J. et al. (2014). Coming out of homosexuality and the entanglement of family standard. Youth Studies (05): 79-86+96.
[19]	Barry M. D. (1971). Coming out in the Gay World. Psychiatry, 34 (2), 180-197.
[20]	Troiden, R. R. (1989). The Formation of Homosexual Identities. Journal of Homosexuality, 17 (1-2), 43-74.
[21]	Plummer, K. (1995) Telling Sexual Stories, London: Routledge.
[22]	Taylor, B. (1999). Coming out’ as a life transition: homosexual identity formation and its implications for health care practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 30 (2), 520-525.
[23]	Greene, B. (1997). Ethnic and Cultural Diversity among Lesbians and Gay Men. London; Sage Publications, Inc.
[24]	Dempsey, C. (1994). Health and Social lssues of Cay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Adolescents. Families in Society, 75 (3).
[25]	Halley, J. E. (1988) Feminism, the Family and Politics of the Closet: Towards Equal Protection for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity. UCLA Law Review, 36.
[26]	Seidman, S. (2001). From Identity to Queer Politics. Citizenship Studies, 5 (3).
[27]	Fu, X. X. (2012) Market Economy, Spatial Evolution and Sex: An Anthropological Observation of the Northeast Gay Group. (1980~2010). Open Times, (04): 133-149.
[28]	Wei, W. (2007)"Piao Piao" in the city: the formation and changes of local homosexual identity in Chengdu. Society, (01): 67-97+207.
[29]	Feng, J & Zhao, N (2016). Homosexual Social Space and Social Networks in the Postmodern Geographical Context: Taking Beijing as an example. Acta Geographica Sinica, 71 (10): 1815-1832.
[30]	Meyer, I. H. (2003), social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Pub Med, 129 (5), 674-697.
[31]	PlÖder M. et al (2014). Explaining the suicide risk. of sexual minority individuals by contrasting the minority stress model with suicide models. Pub Med, 43 (8), 2-37. Retrieved March 03, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0268-4.
[32]	Liu, R.. & Mustanski, B. (2012). Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 42 (3), 221–228.
[33]	Zhang, Y. et al. (2016). The impact of responsibility on homosexuals’ life satisfaction: a moderated mediation effect [Jj]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2016, 24 (05): 921-924.
[34]	Peplau, L. A. & Cochran, S. D. (1981). Value Orientations in the Intimate Relationships of Gay Men. Journal of Homosexuality, 6 (3), 1-20.
[35]	Li, C. A. (2003). An Intervention Study on the Loneliness of College Students. Journal of Shandong Youth Administrative Cadres College, (1): 46 -48.
[36]	Da, H. M. & Li, L. Q. (2009). A review of the research on loneliness of Chinese college students in the past ten years. Journal of Inner Mongolia Normal University (Education Science Edition), (1): 85-90.
[37]	Wang, F. (2000) Analysis and countermeasures of contemporary youth’s loneliness. Journal of Shandong Academy of Youth Management, (2): 10 -11
[38]	Chen, F. G & Chen, H. (2006) The status quo and prospects of contemporary youth loneliness research. Journal of Zibo Teachers College, (3): 20-22.
[39]	Li, C. Y. & Xu, Y. (1999). Review of loneliness psychology research. [J]. Social Psychology Research, (3): 14-16.
[40]	Shou, A. Q. & Chen, Y. Q. (2015) The relationship between online bullying, social support and loneliness among college students. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology: 233-237.
[41]	Zhang. J. et al. (2015). Mental health of sexual minorities: theoretical models and research orientations. Advances in Psychological Science, 23 (6): 1021-1030.
[42]	Hu, W. F. On the Mental Health of Homosexuality among College Students. Education Teaching Forum, (44): 194-195.
[43]	Hu, J. S. et al. Loneliness, self-esteem and attachment of gay men.
[44]	Wang, H. J. & Tang, R. X. (2019). A Review of Researches on the Mental Health of Homosexuals in China. School Psychology, 17 (3): 201-204.
[45]	Li, L. M. & Zhao, B. H. The influence of homosexuals’ public attitude perception on loneliness: the moderating effect of coming out. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2015, 23 (5): 911-914.
[46]	Ye, J. J. Research on the Influencing Factors of Undergraduates’ Perception of Social Support. Psychological Science, 2005 (06): 190-193.
[47]	Zhang, S. P. et al. (2015). A meta-analysis of understanding gender differences in social support. Psychological Development and Education, 31 (04): 393-401.
[48]	Almeida, J. et al. (2009). Emotional distress among LGBT youth: The influence of perceived discrimination based on sexual orientation. Journal of youth and adolescence, 38 (7), 1001-1014.
[49]	Bailey, J. M. et al. (2016). Sexual Orientation, Controversy, and Science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 17 (2), 45–101.
[50]	Carroll, J. L. (2015). Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity. Cengage Learning. 2015: 322. ISBN 1305446038.
[51]	Chakraborty, A. et al. (2011). Mental health of the non-heterosexual population of England. Journal of Psychiatry, 198, 143–148.
[52]	Denizet L. B. (2014). The scientific quest to prove that bisexuality exists. New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/magazine/the-scientific-quest-to-prove-bisexuality-exists.htm/.
[53]	Huang, F. R. et al (2010). Investigations on social psychology and sexual behavior of 52 male homosexual adolescents in Shanghai, 30 (5), 581-592.
[54]	Hudson, S, N. & Metcalf, H. (July). Inequality among lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender groups in the UK: a review of evidence. London: National Institution of Economic and Social Research.
[55]	Jiang, H. B. (2008). Research on the relationship between college students’ social support and loneliness. Fujian Normal University Fuqing Branch School News (5): 98-100.
[56]	Chen, X. W. (2011). The relationship among college students' social support, social anxiety and loneliness. Heilongjiang Higher Education Research, (5): 121-123.
[57]	Bian, C. (2018). Research on the relationship between male homosexual anxiety, depression and social support. Capital University of Economics and Business.
[58]	Li, L. M. & Zhao, B. H. (2016). Research on the relationship between homosexuals’ public attitude perception, social support and loneliness. Chinese Sexual Sciences, 25 (10): 141-143.
[59]	Lin, Ji & Tu, W. (2015). The relationship between college students’ positive psychological qualities, coping styles, and social support. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology, 23 (02): 225-228.
[60]	Zhou, S. X. (2013). The relationship between social support and real well-being: the mediating role of hope. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21 (03): 515-517+499.
[61]	Wu, S. S. (2013). Comprehend the relationship between social support, psychological capital and college students' academic achievement. Shandong Normal University.
[62]	Zhang, Z. T. et al. (2012). The relationship between college students’ parental rearing styles, social support, loneliness and subjective well-being. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology, 20 (07): 1080-1083.
[63]	Shen, J. D. (2012). Research on the relationship between social support and well-being of college student. Soochow University.
[64]	Chen, X. F. & Shi, K. (2008). The impact of loneliness and social support on college students' mental health. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, (05): 534-536.
[65]	Xu, H. X. (2008). Understanding the influence of social support on college students’ depression. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology, (04): 415-417.
[66]	Quan H. Y. et al. (2008). The relationship between college students’ mental health, personality, and social support [J]. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology, (02): 150-152.
[67]	Quan H. Y. et al. (2007). Comprehend the role of social support in the regulation of personality and mental health. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, (06): 598-600.
[68]	Ye J. J. (2006). Comprehend social support, actual social support and college students' depression. Psychological Science, (05): 1141-1143+1131.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Zheng Zhang, Fang He, Shiyun Liu, Haonan Tang, Jiaxiang Li, et al. (2021). A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 10(2), 63-80. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Zheng Zhang; Fang He; Shiyun Liu; Haonan Tang; Jiaxiang Li, et al. A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2021, 10(2), 63-80. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Zheng Zhang, Fang He, Shiyun Liu, Haonan Tang, Jiaxiang Li, et al. A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support. Psychol Behav Sci. 2021;10(2):63-80. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11,
  author = {Zheng Zhang and Fang He and Shiyun Liu and Haonan Tang and Jiaxiang Li and Jilin Zou},
  title = {A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support},
  journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {63-80},
  doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20211002.11},
  abstract = {Background: The long history of diversified population structure has brought the inclusiveness in Chinese culture, but in the other hand Confucian culture give birth to the conformism and moderation. The rapidly changing modern society and increasing opportunities to interact with different cultures have made the younger generation in China more open, but the overall environment has not receded to maintain and adhere to the traditional view of marriage and love, only heterosexuality is normal, has created cognitive clashes and more implicit social conflicts. In such a complex environment, homosexuals who have been outside the mainstream values for ages are apt to face more personal adaptability and mental health problems, which are more obvious in the two psychological qualities of self-identity and loneliness. Methods: We practiced mixed method to research, using perceived social support scale, loneliness scale, gay self-identity questionnaire and semi-structured interview questionnaire as tools, had measured 1962 individuals of different sexual orientation to carry on the survey, and deeply interviewed seven subjects including researchers, encode and establish models according to the collected information. Results: (1) Gay and bisexual men had significant gender main effect on self-identity, and female group had higher self-identity than male. Homosexuals' loneliness, social support and self-identity have significant residential landlord effects. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The level of education affects the loneliness and perceived social support of individuals with different sexual tendencies (2) Perceived social support has negative correlation with loneliness in different groups the coefficient is 0.56-0.66, the higher the perceived social support the lower the loneliness. (3) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between coming out and loneliness, gender moderated the correlation of perceived social support and loneliness. (4) The phenomenon of gender role division exists in various kinds of the non-heterosexual group, and there is no unified operational definition, which can be evaluated through multi-dimensional evaluation. (5) Gender and age have effect on the behavior of coming out, senior female are the last group to come out, exactly contrary to the young men. Certain orders and stages consist in coming-out, in a general way, self-identity is the starting point of coming-out, and the process is influenced by social support, economic conditions, family and more factors.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support
AU  - Zheng Zhang
AU  - Fang He
AU  - Shiyun Liu
AU  - Haonan Tang
AU  - Jiaxiang Li
AU  - Jilin Zou
Y1  - 2021/03/30
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
SP  - 63
EP  - 80
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7845
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
AB  - Background: The long history of diversified population structure has brought the inclusiveness in Chinese culture, but in the other hand Confucian culture give birth to the conformism and moderation. The rapidly changing modern society and increasing opportunities to interact with different cultures have made the younger generation in China more open, but the overall environment has not receded to maintain and adhere to the traditional view of marriage and love, only heterosexuality is normal, has created cognitive clashes and more implicit social conflicts. In such a complex environment, homosexuals who have been outside the mainstream values for ages are apt to face more personal adaptability and mental health problems, which are more obvious in the two psychological qualities of self-identity and loneliness. Methods: We practiced mixed method to research, using perceived social support scale, loneliness scale, gay self-identity questionnaire and semi-structured interview questionnaire as tools, had measured 1962 individuals of different sexual orientation to carry on the survey, and deeply interviewed seven subjects including researchers, encode and establish models according to the collected information. Results: (1) Gay and bisexual men had significant gender main effect on self-identity, and female group had higher self-identity than male. Homosexuals' loneliness, social support and self-identity have significant residential landlord effects. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The level of education affects the loneliness and perceived social support of individuals with different sexual tendencies (2) Perceived social support has negative correlation with loneliness in different groups the coefficient is 0.56-0.66, the higher the perceived social support the lower the loneliness. (3) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between coming out and loneliness, gender moderated the correlation of perceived social support and loneliness. (4) The phenomenon of gender role division exists in various kinds of the non-heterosexual group, and there is no unified operational definition, which can be evaluated through multi-dimensional evaluation. (5) Gender and age have effect on the behavior of coming out, senior female are the last group to come out, exactly contrary to the young men. Certain orders and stages consist in coming-out, in a general way, self-identity is the starting point of coming-out, and the process is influenced by social support, economic conditions, family and more factors.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Zheng Zhang

Department of Psychology, School of Education, Linyi University, Linyi, China
Fang He

Department of Accounting, School of Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
Shiyun Liu

Department of History, School of Nan Tong University, Nantong, China
Haonan Tang

Department of Psychology, School of Educational Sciences, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, China
Jiaxiang Li

Department of Psychology, School of Capital Nomal University, Beijing, China
Jilin Zou

Department of Psychology, School of Education, Linyi University, Linyi, China

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Zheng Zhang, Fang He, Shiyun Liu, Haonan Tang, Jiaxiang Li, et al. (2021). A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 10(2), 63-80. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Zheng Zhang; Fang He; Shiyun Liu; Haonan Tang; Jiaxiang Li, et al. A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support. Psychol. Behav. Sci. 2021, 10(2), 63-80. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Zheng Zhang, Fang He, Shiyun Liu, Haonan Tang, Jiaxiang Li, et al. A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support. Psychol Behav Sci. 2021;10(2):63-80. doi: 10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11,
  author = {Zheng Zhang and Fang He and Shiyun Liu and Haonan Tang and Jiaxiang Li and Jilin Zou},
  title = {A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support},
  journal = {Psychology and Behavioral Sciences},
  volume = {10},
  number = {2},
  pages = {63-80},
  doi = {10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.pbs.20211002.11},
  abstract = {Background: The long history of diversified population structure has brought the inclusiveness in Chinese culture, but in the other hand Confucian culture give birth to the conformism and moderation. The rapidly changing modern society and increasing opportunities to interact with different cultures have made the younger generation in China more open, but the overall environment has not receded to maintain and adhere to the traditional view of marriage and love, only heterosexuality is normal, has created cognitive clashes and more implicit social conflicts. In such a complex environment, homosexuals who have been outside the mainstream values for ages are apt to face more personal adaptability and mental health problems, which are more obvious in the two psychological qualities of self-identity and loneliness. Methods: We practiced mixed method to research, using perceived social support scale, loneliness scale, gay self-identity questionnaire and semi-structured interview questionnaire as tools, had measured 1962 individuals of different sexual orientation to carry on the survey, and deeply interviewed seven subjects including researchers, encode and establish models according to the collected information. Results: (1) Gay and bisexual men had significant gender main effect on self-identity, and female group had higher self-identity than male. Homosexuals' loneliness, social support and self-identity have significant residential landlord effects. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The level of education affects the loneliness and perceived social support of individuals with different sexual tendencies (2) Perceived social support has negative correlation with loneliness in different groups the coefficient is 0.56-0.66, the higher the perceived social support the lower the loneliness. (3) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between coming out and loneliness, gender moderated the correlation of perceived social support and loneliness. (4) The phenomenon of gender role division exists in various kinds of the non-heterosexual group, and there is no unified operational definition, which can be evaluated through multi-dimensional evaluation. (5) Gender and age have effect on the behavior of coming out, senior female are the last group to come out, exactly contrary to the young men. Certain orders and stages consist in coming-out, in a general way, self-identity is the starting point of coming-out, and the process is influenced by social support, economic conditions, family and more factors.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study on the Relationship Between Homosexuals' Coming-Out, Self-identity, Loneliness and Perceived Social Support
AU  - Zheng Zhang
AU  - Fang He
AU  - Shiyun Liu
AU  - Haonan Tang
AU  - Jiaxiang Li
AU  - Jilin Zou
Y1  - 2021/03/30
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
T2  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JF  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
JO  - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
SP  - 63
EP  - 80
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-7845
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.pbs.20211002.11
AB  - Background: The long history of diversified population structure has brought the inclusiveness in Chinese culture, but in the other hand Confucian culture give birth to the conformism and moderation. The rapidly changing modern society and increasing opportunities to interact with different cultures have made the younger generation in China more open, but the overall environment has not receded to maintain and adhere to the traditional view of marriage and love, only heterosexuality is normal, has created cognitive clashes and more implicit social conflicts. In such a complex environment, homosexuals who have been outside the mainstream values for ages are apt to face more personal adaptability and mental health problems, which are more obvious in the two psychological qualities of self-identity and loneliness. Methods: We practiced mixed method to research, using perceived social support scale, loneliness scale, gay self-identity questionnaire and semi-structured interview questionnaire as tools, had measured 1962 individuals of different sexual orientation to carry on the survey, and deeply interviewed seven subjects including researchers, encode and establish models according to the collected information. Results: (1) Gay and bisexual men had significant gender main effect on self-identity, and female group had higher self-identity than male. Homosexuals' loneliness, social support and self-identity have significant residential landlord effects. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The higher the level of residential area, the higher the self-identity. The level of education affects the loneliness and perceived social support of individuals with different sexual tendencies (2) Perceived social support has negative correlation with loneliness in different groups the coefficient is 0.56-0.66, the higher the perceived social support the lower the loneliness. (3) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between coming out and loneliness, gender moderated the correlation of perceived social support and loneliness. (4) The phenomenon of gender role division exists in various kinds of the non-heterosexual group, and there is no unified operational definition, which can be evaluated through multi-dimensional evaluation. (5) Gender and age have effect on the behavior of coming out, senior female are the last group to come out, exactly contrary to the young men. Certain orders and stages consist in coming-out, in a general way, self-identity is the starting point of coming-out, and the process is influenced by social support, economic conditions, family and more factors.
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download