A Cross-Cultural Study of Social Support from Family, Friends, and Significant Others and Mental Health Among Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese Gay and Lesbian Young Adults

Nicola Picone, Pedro Alexandre Costa, Marta Evelia Aparicio-García and Gaetana Affuso ()
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Nicola Picone: Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Pedro Alexandre Costa: Center for Psychology of University of Porto, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Marta Evelia Aparicio-García: Department of Social, Work and Differential Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
Gaetana Affuso: Department of Psychology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Gay and lesbian young adults report worse mental health than their heterosexual counterparts due to social stigma. Nonetheless, factors such as social support may protect them against the negative effects of stigma. The current study compares Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese gay and lesbian young adults on three dimensions of social support (family, friends, and significant others) and on mental health indicators (depression and anxiety). It also explores the associations between social support and mental health among the three countries. To this end, a sample of 687 gay and lesbian young adults filled out an online questionnaire: 345 from Italy ( M age = 25.24, SD = 4.39), 193 from Spain ( M age = 27.44, SD = 5.05), and 149 from Portugal ( M age = 24.45, SD = 5.15). Italian participants reported lower levels of social support from family and friends than Spanish participants. Moreover, Portuguese participants reported higher levels of anxiety than Italian participants. The results of the survey further indicate that only social support from family was significantly and negatively associated with depression and anxiety in the three countries. Overall, the findings suggest that the mental health of gay and lesbian young adults can be improved through non-stigmatising cultures as well as family education.

Keywords: social stigma; social support; mental health; gay and lesbian young adults; cross-cultural study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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