Drug Use, Family Support, and Depressive Symptoms Among Latinx Sexual Minority Men: A Longitudinal Analysis

AbstractFamily rejection has negative health consequences for Latinx sexual minority men  (LSMM). However, LSMM often reconcile with their families, a phenomenon cross-sectional studies miss. We analyzed longitudinal data from the Healthy Young Men’s Study in Los Angeles. We used individual fixed-effects Poisson regression to model changes over time in the associations among family s upport, drug use, and depressive symptoms. We found that (1) the initiation of drug use was associated with a 7.2% (Ratio=1.072, 95% CI 1.006 - 1.142, p = 0.03) increase in family support among LSMM who reported high depressive symptoms (depression subscale T-score ≥ 63) in at least one data w ave; (2) a 1-unit increase in family support was associated with a 4.7% (RR = ;0.953, 95% CI 0.931 - 0.976, p< 0.001) decrease in the probability of high depressive symptoms; and (3) no significant association between a change in drug use and a change in high depressive symptoms. Over time, LSMM appear to benefit from the health effects of family support associated with Latinx family structures.
Source: AIDS and Behavior - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research