Association of sexual minority status, gender nonconformity with childhood victimization and adulthood depressive symptoms: A path analysis.

Abstract Background Sexual minority status and childhood gender nonconformity have been associated with elevated risks of childhood adversities and poorer mental health. Objective To explore how abuse and bullying explain the disparities in the associations of sexual minority status and childhood gender nonconformity with adulthood depressive symptoms in men. Participants and setting We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-report questionnaire among Chinese adult men (18−35 years) who were identified as heterosexual (n = 873) and sexual minority (n = 858) in Guangzhou from 2017 to 2019. Methods Structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted for path analysis. Results The levels of exposure to childhood maltreatment were higher in sexual minorities than in straight men, and sexual minority status predicted an increased risk of depressive symptoms via childhood maltreatment (indirect effect: β = 0.026, p = 0.004). Meanwhile, childhood gender nonconformity predicted higher depressive symptoms via both family (indirect effect: β = 0.042, p Conclusion Sexual minority status and gender nonconformity are indicators of men’s increased risk of childhood victimization and adulthood depressive symptoms. As a result, intervention based on both family and school dimensions needs to be developed.