The Moderating Role of Social Support for LGBTQ People in South Central Appalachia: Present Yet Unimpactful?

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) minority stress theory states that LGBTQ people experience stressors specific to their identity that result in negative mental health outcomes. Social support has been shown to protect against these negative outcomes, but South Central Appalachia is known to be high stigma and low resource for this population. The present study examined the potential moderating impact of four sources of social support (family, friends, partners, and pets) on the relationship between minority stress experiences and psychological distress for LGBTQ people living in South Central Appalachia. Participants included 116 LGBTQ adults living in South Central Appalachia who completed survey-based self-report measures. A series of moderated linear regression models were utilized, and results indicated that there was no moderating effect by any support sources tested. Possible explanations are addressed, and further research is needed to investigate the role of social support in this population.