Family Dynamics and Psychological Well-Being Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults

Over the past 10 years, decreased psychological well-being has been considered a contributing factor in the suicide rate of lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) young adults, which is reported to be up to 8 times greater than heterosexual young adults. Although family dynamics has been shown as a risk factor for psychological well-being, it has not been examined for LGB young adults. Based on the circumplex model, derived from family systems theory, the 1st purpose of this quantitative study was an examination of whether family dynamics predicted the psychological well-being of 206 LGB young adults, who were recruited from 5 LGB Internet support sites and 1 university. The 2nd purpose was an examination of gender differences in psychological well-being. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales were used to measure family dynamics and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems was used to measure psychological well-being. Linear multiple regression analysis indicated that family dynamics was not a significant predictor of psychological well-being. An independent t test showed no significant differences in psychological well-being based on gender. This study's results suggest that the psychological well-being found in this sample of LGB young adults may be attributed to their proactive seeking of support from LGB Internet support sites and the likelihood that healthier LGB young adults are more amendable to participate in doctoral research. The positive social change implication includes knowledge of the role of LGB Internet support sites toward the psychological well-being of LGB young adults. It is recommended that both local and online support organizations be utilized within the social services community when assisting this population.