How Does Masculinity Play a Protective Role for Gay Men? The Mediation Effect of Mindfulness Between Gender Role and Mental Distress.
Haoqian Li, Yangyang Yang, Yiwen Li, Yimeng Zeng
International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health May 30, 2024 DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2024.2360739 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 210 |
| Population | Gay men in China |
| Measures | Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Gay men Gender roles Mental distress Masculinity |
| Key findings | Among 210 gay men in China, trait mindfulness significantly mediated the negative associations between masculinity and stress, anxiety, and depression (standardized indirect effects of -.20, -.17, and -.20, respectively). The mindfulness facets "describing" and "acting with awareness" showed significant mediation, and the masculinity facet "being analytical" correlated positively with mindful describing (r = .369). The authors propose that low masculinity might undermine gay men's capacity for acting with awareness. |
Abstract
Masculinity is validated as a protective factor in mental health for gay population. However, potential mediators between masculinity and mental health remain unclear. Mindfulness, as one of the individual's traits has been proved to play an essential role on mental health. Yet the correlation between mindfulness and masculinity has barely been examined, and whether mindfulness could serve as a key mediator to explain the protective effect masculinity bringing to mental health for gay men remains unknown. To test this hypothesis, we recruited 210 gay men in China to conduct online questionnaires containing scales of FFMQ, BSRI, DASS-21 and demographic features. Based on mediation analysis, we found among gay men, mindfulness significantly mediates the negative relationship between masculinity and stress (SIE (standardized indirect effect) = -.20, 95% CI [-.28 -.11]), anxiety (SIE = -.17, 95% CI [-.26 -.09]) and depression (SIE = -.20, 95% CI [-.29 -.11]). Furthermore, by decomposing sub-dimensions of mindfulness, we found both "describing" and "acting with awareness" exhibit significant mediation effects between masculinity and mental distress. We further found "being analytical", one key sub-dimension of masculinity, positively correlates with mindful describing (r = .369, p < .001). Our results indicate that trait mindfulness serves as a core mediator between masculinity and mental health, the key trait in masculinity (being analytical) closely connects with the essential element of mindfulness (describing) and low in masculinity might undermine gay men's abilities of acting with awareness (staying focused). Our findings may also shed light on developing gay men-aimed mindfulness-based clinical interventions.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Individual participant data systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials assessing adult mindfulness-based programmes for mental health promotion in non-clinical settings. Nature Mental Health July 10, 2023
- Does rumination mediate the relationship between mindfulness and depressive relapse? Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice June 27, 2015
- The Potential Mediating Role of Anxiety Sensitivity in the Impact of Mindfulness Training on Anxiety and Depression Severity and Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial Scandinavian Journal of Psychology July 19, 2022
- The effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on risk and protective factors of depressive relapse – a randomized wait-list controlled trial BMC Psychology June 7, 2020
and 3 more in the library