The Association Between Negative Life Events and Depressive Symptomatology in Black Men Who Have Sex with Men (BMSM): Exploring the Moderating Effects of Religious Participation and Spirituality
Open AccessBlack men who have sex with men (BMSM) suffer from a multitude of health disparities, including experiencing more stressful life events and having higher rates of childhood sexual and physical abuse, when compared to the general U.S. population. They also report experiencing more depressive symptoms than the general population. Religion and spirituality have generally been shown to be protective against stress and trauma-related depressive symptomology, but due to the nuanced relationship that many BMSM have with religion, it is unclear if religion and spirituality will function the same way in this population. This dissertation aimed to address gaps in the literature by identifying how negative life events (stressful life events and childhood sexual/physical abuse) may lead to depressive symptoms in BMSM, and by investigating the possible role of religion and spirituality in buffering these associations. Data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 061 Study (N=1,468 BMSM) were used to quantitatively assess: 1) the associations between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in BMSM, and whether the perceived acceptance of homosexuality in one’s religious body interacts with the frequency of religious participation to moderate this association; and 2) the relationships between experiences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) or childhood physical abuse (CPA) and depressive symptoms in adult BMSM, and whether one’s spiritual beliefs can buffer these associations. In Aim 1, experiencing stressful life events was associated with the presence of greater depressive symptoms in this sample, but the frequency of religious participation did not moderate this association, either by itself or in an interaction with the perceived acceptance of homosexuality in one’s religious body. However, weekly church attendance was found to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms on its own. In Aim 2, experiencing both childhood and adolescent CSA or experiencing CPA were also associated with the presence of greater depressive symptoms; however, spiritual beliefs were shown to be protective against depressive symptomatology only for those who experienced both childhood and adolescent CSA. Based on the results of this research, it may be useful to integrate spiritual practices into interventions to lessen depressive symptoms among BMSM who are survivors of long-term childhood sexual abuse. As weekly church attendance was protective but did not have a moderating effect, this suggests that regular religious participation is beneficial in ways other than through stress buffering. One potential benefit may be access to social support through one’s religious community, so it is important to further investigate the inclusion of social support in interventions that address depressive symptoms among BMSM.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Barksdale_gwu_0075A_16328.pdf | 2023-11-14 | Open Access |
|