Abstract
This study investigates the role of parental and peer relationships’ quality on homophobic victimization and possible consequences on mental health during adolescence. Participants were 394 adolescents, (41.6% male and 58.4% female) aged 15–20 years (M = 16.55; SD = 0.85), attending the third and fourth classes of public high schools in Italy. Participants completed the Homophobic Bullying Scale to evaluate homophobic victimization toward gays and lesbians or assumed homosexuals, the Symptom Check-list-90 to evaluate mental health, and the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment to investigate the quality of peer and parental relationships (in terms of communication, disaffection, and trust). Results show how the quality of peer relationships is not connected with victimization, but the quality of parental relationships is linked with homophobic victimization. Finally, the victimization is connected with anxiety and somatization problems. Theoretical and educational implications were discussed.
Highlights
Homophobic victimization is a constantly growing phenomenon, especially in scholastic contexts in Western culture (Kosciw, 2004; Poteat and Espelage, 2007; Smith, 2016)
The model suggests that parental disaffection (β = 0.50, t = 2.22, p < 0.05), parental communication (β = −0.25, t = −1.85, p < 0.05), and parental trust (β = −0.65, t = −3.75, p < 0.001) are connected to homophobic victimization
The present study aims to investigate how the quality of parental and peer relationships can implement the condition of homophobic victimization, as well as verify the consequences of victimization on the psychological well-being of a group of adolescents in the Italian context
Summary
Homophobic victimization is a constantly growing phenomenon, especially in scholastic contexts in Western culture (Kosciw, 2004; Poteat and Espelage, 2007; Smith, 2016). The minority stress model (Meyer, 2003) suggests that a victim of homophobic bullying can show negative results related to well-being, implementing states of anxiety and depression related to feelings of inadequacy (Poteat et al, 2011). In line with the attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969; Ainsworth et al, 2015), the adolescent who does not introject internal operational models based on security and affection may not have the resources to face a traumatic moment, such as victimization The literature, in this sense, suggests how the support and emotional availability of the caregiving context help to prevent traumatic events (Huang et al, 2013).
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