Family Functioning and Youth Outness: Indirect Effect of Sexuality Specific Family Social Support

Abstract

Outness can be associated with benefits for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth, such as better mental health and increased self-esteem, but little is known about its predictors. Family functioning and family social support are important for many youth outcomes, though their relationship with outness is unknown. This study explored whether family functioning and family social support predicted youth outness longitudinally. Family functioning consisted of flexibility (ability to shift roles and rules in response to change), cohesion (closeness between family members), and communication. In addition to examining direct links with outness, sexuality specific and non-sexuality specific family social support were examined as mediators of the relationship between family functioning and outness, testing the hypothesis that only sexuality specific support would be significant. Data were used from a longitudinal study of LGB youth (N = 168). As predicted, adaptive family functioning was associated with outness one year later; this relationship was mediated by sexuality specific family social support, but not non-sexuality specific family social support. Results are discussed in relation to current events (such as the Covid-19 pandemic) that disproportionately impact LGB youth. Future research may investigate how to assist families in providing sexuality specific support.