Associations of discrimination, mental health symptoms, and substance use among sexual and gender minority young adults: Differences by type and source of social support

Introduction: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) young adults display higher rates of mental health symptoms and substance use, partially due to minority stressors, such as discrimination. Social support may mitigate these negative effects, but less is known about which types and sources of support are most beneficial. Methods: We analyzed 2 waves of survey data among 549 SGM young adults (ages 18-25) residing in Oklahoma and surrounding states. Logistic regressions examined: 1) main effects of discrimination and specific types (i.e., general, SGM specific) and sources (i.e., parent, peer, community) of social support on SGM young adults' behavioral health outcomes (i.e., mental health symptoms, past-month tobacco use, cannabis use, binge drinking); and 2) interactions between discrimination and each type/source of social support on behavioral health outcomes controlling for participant sociodemographics. Results: Discrimination was more strongly associated with higher odds of mental health symptoms for SGM young adults with lower (vs. higher) SGM-specific parent support. Additionally, discrimination was associated with higher odds of tobacco and binge drinking among those with lower (but not higher) SGM-specific peer support. Conclusion: Findings highlight the need for interventions that strengthen affirming family and peer support networks to foster resilience among SGM young adults in ways that reduce mental health symptoms, tobacco use, and binge drinking.