Having strong social ties may protect queer men against health risks, according to a new study led by University of Guelph researchers.
Published in Health Psychology, the study followed over 1,000 gay, bisexual and other sexual minority men across Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver for a year and a half.
Dr. Shayna Skakoon-Sparling
Researchers asked questions about their sense of social connection and internalized homonegativity - negative beliefs about their sexual orientation. They also collected samples to diagnose potential sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
They found that men with higher levels of internalized homonegativity were more likely to experience intrusive sexual thoughts or behaviours. This, in turn, was linked to a 68 per cent increased risk of testing positive for bacterial STIs such as gonorrhea or chlamydia.
But this link only held true for those who lacked social support, says project lead Dr. Shayna Skakoon-Sparling, psychology professor in U of G's College of Social and Applied Human Sciences.
"Social support has this buffering effect," says Skakoon-Sparling. "When men have strong community ties and people they can rely on, distressing thoughts are dampened, they engage in more protective behaviours and are at a lower risk of the downstream impact of getting an STI."
Queer men with strong social support may also be more likely to be open about their sexuality, supporting relationships that help them cope with minority stressors like discrimination.
Social support key to protecting men's health
The study is unique in demonstrating the link between social support and health outcomes across the same participants followed for a year and a half, allowing researchers to draw stronger connections.
"In psychology research, we always say social support is so important for your health, but this study gives one crucial real-world example as to why and how," she says.
Social support was gauged by asking participants questions like whether they had someone to call upon when they needed something, if they were sick or feeling down.
It didn't matter whether social support came from family, friends, romantic partners or other community members - only that it was there.
In addition, Skakoon-Sparling coined the term "intrusive sexual thoughts or behaviours" to differentiate between these negative self-perceptions and simply having a high sex drive or having multiple partners.
"This isn't about having a lot of sex; it's about feeling distressed or disturbed about the way you think about sex and the way that you're behaving," she says. "People who are disconnected from their family or don't have a strong friend group, for example, will have low protection against these intrusive sexual thoughts or behaviours."
Future interventions may target social connection
The study suggests strengthening our social networks and investing in programs that foster community may ultimately support men's sexual health and overall well-being.
"Building networks and finding places of belonging can do more than just improve our mental health," she says. "Unfortunately, this can be challenging for the queer community, because of discrimination and homophobia."
Skakoon-Sparling, who studies loneliness among sexual minority men, offers advice for those feeling alone or distressed.
"You can't just sit back and wait for people to come to you," she says. "You need to look for ways to be somebody else's social support. And when you do that, you will find that your own social networks and your support increases, too. People like to be in reciprocal relationships."
Future studies from Dr. Skakoon-Sparling's lab will home in on the types of social connection that may be most important for decreasing feelings of loneliness and impacting health behaviour. For example, could online relationships offer similar protection as in-person?
"There are countless papers on HIV for gay men, but not enough work on their social and romantic relationships," she says. "That's the gap I'm hoping to fill."
The research is part of the Engage Cohort Study, a national health study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The study is a collaboration between multiple institutions including Toronto Metropolitan University, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, the University of Guelph, the Centre for Community Based Research and the University of Toronto.
