Assessing Depression Among Taiwanese Sexual Minority Men: A Latent Profile Analysis of Minority Stress and Social Safety.

PURPOSE: This study explored how minority stress and social safety jointly shape mental health among Taiwanese sexual minority men (SMM) through the identification of psychosocial profiles and their associations with depression.

METHODS

Between April and May 2023, 415 Taiwanese SMM completed an online cross-sectional survey. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified groups based on minority stress (sexuality-related discrimination, acceptance concerns, internalized homonegativity) and social safety (identity affirmation, family support, community connectedness) indicators. Multinomial logistic regression examined sociodemographic correlates of profile membership, and linear and binary logistic regressions assessed associations with depressive symptom severity (DSS) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

RESULTS

LPA identified three distinct profiles: "Moderate Minority Stress-Low Social Safety" (MMS-LSS; n = 201, 48.4%); "Low Minority Stress-High Social Safety" (LMS-HSS; n = 182, 43.9%); and "High Minority Stress-Moderate Social Safety" (HMS-MSS; n = 32, 7.7%). Individuals identifying as heterosexual men who have sex with men, pansexual, asexual, queer, or questioning had greater odds of belonging to the MMS-LSS (odds ratio [OR] = 5.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42-17.63) and HMS-MSS (OR = 10.35, 95% CI = 2.32-46.13) profiles, relative to the LMS-HSS profile. Compared with individuals in the LMS-HSS profile, residence in the Central, Eastern, or Outer Island regions was associated with higher odds of HMS-MSS profile membership (OR = 3.58, 95% CI = 1.46-8.83). After adjusting for covariates, membership in the MMS-LSS (β = 0.16, 95% CI = 0.06-0.25; adjusted OR [aOR] = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.06-3.35) and HMS-MSS (β = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.01-0.20; aOR = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.13-7.69) profiles, relative to the LMS-HSS profile, was associated with greater DSS and higher odds of MDD.

CONCLUSION

These findings revealed diverse experiences of minority stress and social safety among Taiwanese SMM and their implications for depression, supporting culturally responsive interventions.