INFORMAL SOCIAL SUPPORT AND DEPRESSION AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience greater mental health problems as compared with heterosexual populations. Informal social support plays a critical role in emotional well-being. The primary goal of this article is to examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and received social support from family, friends, and sex partners within the social network from a sample of 188 African American MSM in Baltimore, Maryland. We found that receiving emotional support from a family member or a sex partner was associated with reduced odds of having depressive symptoms. Receiving financial support from a family member or a friend was associated with increased odds of having depressive symptoms. The results suggest the importance of emotional support provided by family and sex partner in mental health and the potential value of training African American MSM in skills to enhance the quality of the relationships.

[1]  C. Latkin,et al.  Differences in the social networks of African American men who have sex with men only and those who have sex with men and women. , 2011, American journal of public health.

[2]  T. Guadamuz,et al.  Resilience as an Untapped Resource in Behavioral Intervention Design for Gay Men , 2011, AIDS and Behavior.

[3]  S. Reisner,et al.  Mental Health and HIV Risk in Men Who Have Sex With Men , 2010, Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes.

[4]  S. Reisner,et al.  Clinically Significant Depressive Symptoms as a Risk Factor for HIV Infection Among Black MSM in Massachusetts , 2009, AIDS and Behavior.

[5]  J. Serovich,et al.  The effect of perceived and actual social support on the mental health of HIV-positive persons , 2007, AIDS care.

[6]  Tarani Chandola,et al.  Failed reciprocity in close social relationships and health: findings from the Whitehall II study. , 2007, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[7]  J. Siegrist.  Social reciprocity and health: New scientific evidence and policy implications , 2005, Psychoneuroendocrinology.

[8]  Mika Kivimäki,et al.  When it is better to give than to receive: long-term health effects of perceived reciprocity in support exchange. , 2005, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[9]  T. Hart,et al.  Association of co-occurring psychosocial health problems and increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among urban men who have sex with men. , 2003, American journal of public health.

[10]  A. Knowlton.  Informal HIV caregiving in a vulnerable population: toward a network resource framework. , 2003, Social science & medicine.

[11]  H. Hagan,et al.  Depression and HIV risk behavior among Seattle-area injection drug users and young men who have sex with men. , 2003, AIDS education and prevention : official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education.

[12]  S. Hobfoll.  The Influence of Culture, Community, and the Nested-Self in the Stress Process: Advancing Conservation of Resources Theory , 2001 .

[13]  C. Holahan,et al.  Resource loss, resource gain, and depressive symptoms: a 10-year model. , 1999, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[14]  A. Meyers.  Reading , 1999, Language Teaching.

[15]  J. Rabkin,et al.  Prevalence of axis I disorders in an AIDS cohort: a cross-sectional, controlled study. , 1997, Comprehensive psychiatry.

[16]  W Mandell,et al.  The relationship between risk networks' patterns of crack cocaine and alcohol consumption and HIV-related sexual behaviors among adult injection drug users: a prospective study. , 1996, Drug and alcohol dependence.

[17]  C. Cubbin,et al.  The structure of informal care: are there differences by race? , 1995, The Gerontologist.

[18]  R. Schwarzer,et al.  The multidimensional nature of received social support in gay men at risk of HIV infection and AIDS , 1994, American journal of community psychology.

[19]  J. Catania,et al.  The prevalence of informal caregiving to persons with AIDS in the United States: caregiver characteristics and their implications. , 1994, Social science & medicine.

[20]  S. Cochran,et al.  Depressive distress among homosexually active African American men and women. , 1994, The American journal of psychiatry.

[21]  Ralf Schwarzer,et al.  Social Support and Health: A Theoretical and Empirical Overview , 1991 .

[22]  S. Chauncey,et al.  The social support networks of gay men with AIDS , 1990 .

[23]  J. House,et al.  Social relationships and health. , 1988, Science.

[24]  R. Taylor.  Receipt of Support from Family among Black Americans: Demographic and Familial Differences. , 1986 .

[25]  M. Barrera,et al.  The structure of social support: a conceptual and empirical analysis. , 1983, Journal of community psychology.

[26]  C. Latkin,et al.  Network Financial Support and Conflict as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms among a Highly Disadvantaged Population. , 2007 .

[27]  S. Hobfoll,et al.  Resource loss, resource gain, and emotional outcomes among inner city women. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[28]  Nan Lin,et al.  Marital Engagement/Disengagement, Social Networks, and Mental Health , 1991 .

[29]  L. Leemis.  Applied Linear Regression Models , 1991 .

[30]  Irwin G. Sarason,et al.  Traditional views of social support and their impact on assessment. , 1990 .

[31]  D. R. Lehman,et al.  The other side of support: Emotional overinvolvement and miscarried helping. , 1988 .

[32]  Arie Nadler,et al.  Recipient reactions to aid , 1982 .

[33]  J. House.  Work stress and social support , 1981 .

[34]  L. Radloff.  The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population — Source link , 2022 .