The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study

Aruna Chandran; Sabina Haberlen; Deanna Ware; Steven Meanley; Mark Brennan-Ing; Andre L. Brown; Linda A. Teplin; James E. Egan; Matthew J. Mimiaga; M. Reuel Friedman; Michael Plankey

doi:10.1037/sgd0000605

The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study

Aruna Chandran^*, Sabina Haberlen, Deanna Ware, Steven Meanley, Mark Brennan-Ing, Andre L. Brown, Linda A. Teplin, James E. Egan, Matthew J. Mimiaga, M. Reuel Friedman, Michael Plankey

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges, including depressive symptoms, compared with their heterosexual counterparts. Having a like-mentor, or a sexual minority mentor, is associated with improved mental well-being among SMM mentees. However, few studies have explored the potential benefits to mentors. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we calculated a perceptions of mentoring score that encompasses experiences and beliefs regarding mentoring of SMM from the Healthy Aging Substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. We used a generalized estimating equations model to assess associations between perceptions of mentoring and clinically significant depressive symptoms adjusted for key covariates; models were also stratified by HIV serostatus. Among 1,246 men aged 40þ years, the strongest agreement was with the statement “I have encouraged people to be proud of their sexual orientation,” for which 770 individuals (72%) indicated “Agree” or “Strongly agree.” Each unit increase in the mean perceptions of mentoring score was associated with 8% decreased odds of having clinically significant depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio:.92; 95% CI:.85–.99). We show that SMM reported like-mentoring experiences and had positive mentoring beliefs, and that these were associated with a decreased odds of having depressive symptoms. Encouraging SMM to serve as likementors could be a way to counter depressive symptoms among this key population. There is a need for increased research regarding how mentoring programs can best be designed to benefit sexual minority mentees and mentors.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	328-336
Number of pages	9
Journal	Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity
Volume	11
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000605
State	Published - Sep 29 2022

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health Disparities (Grant R01 MD010680; Michael Plankey and M. Reuel Friedman). The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health). MWCCS (principal investigators): Atlanta CRS (Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Anandi Sheth, and Gina Wingood), U01- HL146241; Baltimore CRS (Todd Brown and Joseph Margolick), U01- HL146201; Bronx CRS (Kathryn Anastos and Anjali Sharma), U01-HL146204; Brooklyn CRS (Deborah Gustafson and Tracey Wilson), U01-HL146202; Data Analysis and Coordination Center (Gypsyamber D\u2019Souza, Stephen Gange, and Elizabeth Golub), U01-HL146193; Chicago\u2013 Cook County CRS (Mardge Cohen and Audrey French), U01-HL146245; Chicago-Northwestern CRS (Steven Wolinsky), U01-HL146240; Connie Wofsy Women\u2019s HIV Study, Northern California CRS (Bradley Aouizerat, Phyllis Tien, and Jennifer Price), U01-HL146242; Los Angeles CRS (Roger Detels), U01-HL146333; Metropolitan Washington CRS (Seble Kassaye and Daniel Merenstein), U01-HL146205; Miami CRS (Maria Alcaide, Margaret Fischl, and Deborah Jones), U01-HL146203; Pittsburgh CRS (Jeremy Martinson and Charles Rinaldo), U01-HL146208; UAB-MS CRS (MirjamColette Kempf, Jodie Dionne-Odom, and Deborah Konkle-Parker), U01- HL146192; and UNC CRS (Adaora Adimora), U01-HL146194. The MWCCS is funded primarily by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), with additional co-funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), National Institute on Aging (National Institute on Aging), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institute of Mental Health (National Institute of Mental Health), National Institute on Drug Abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse), National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), National Cancer Institute (National Cancer Institute), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and in coordination and alignment with the research priorities of the National Institutes of Health, Office of AIDS Research (OAR). MWCCS data collection is also supported by grants UL1-TR000004 (UCSF CTSA), P30-AI-050409 (Atlanta CFAR), P30-AI-050410 (UNC CFAR), and P30-AI-027767 (UAB CFAR).

Keywords

depressive symptoms
like-mentoring
sexual minorities

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Gender Studies
General Psychology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1037/sgd0000605

Cite this

Chandran, A., Haberlen, S., Ware, D., Meanley, S., Brennan-Ing, M., Brown, A. L., Teplin, L. A., Egan, J. E., Mimiaga, M. J., Friedman, M. R., & Plankey, M. (2022). The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 11(2), 328-336. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000605

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title = "The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study",

abstract = "Sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges, including depressive symptoms, compared with their heterosexual counterparts. Having a like-mentor, or a sexual minority mentor, is associated with improved mental well-being among SMM mentees. However, few studies have explored the potential benefits to mentors. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we calculated a perceptions of mentoring score that encompasses experiences and beliefs regarding mentoring of SMM from the Healthy Aging Substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. We used a generalized estimating equations model to assess associations between perceptions of mentoring and clinically significant depressive symptoms adjusted for key covariates; models were also stratified by HIV serostatus. Among 1,246 men aged 40{\th} years, the strongest agreement was with the statement “I have encouraged people to be proud of their sexual orientation,” for which 770 individuals (72\%) indicated “Agree” or “Strongly agree.” Each unit increase in the mean perceptions of mentoring score was associated with 8\% decreased odds of having clinically significant depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio:.92; 95\% CI:.85–.99). We show that SMM reported like-mentoring experiences and had positive mentoring beliefs, and that these were associated with a decreased odds of having depressive symptoms. Encouraging SMM to serve as likementors could be a way to counter depressive symptoms among this key population. There is a need for increased research regarding how mentoring programs can best be designed to benefit sexual minority mentees and mentors.",

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month = sep,

day = "29",

doi = "10.1037/sgd0000605",

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Chandran, A, Haberlen, S, Ware, D, Meanley, S, Brennan-Ing, M, Brown, AL, Teplin, LA, Egan, JE, Mimiaga, MJ, Friedman, MR & Plankey, M 2022, 'The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study', Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 328-336. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000605

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T1 - The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study

AU - Chandran, Aruna

AU - Haberlen, Sabina

AU - Ware, Deanna

AU - Meanley, Steven

AU - Brennan-Ing, Mark

AU - Brown, Andre L.

AU - Teplin, Linda A.

AU - Egan, James E.

AU - Mimiaga, Matthew J.

AU - Friedman, M. Reuel

AU - Plankey, Michael

PY - 2022/9/29

Y1 - 2022/9/29

N2 - Sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges, including depressive symptoms, compared with their heterosexual counterparts. Having a like-mentor, or a sexual minority mentor, is associated with improved mental well-being among SMM mentees. However, few studies have explored the potential benefits to mentors. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we calculated a perceptions of mentoring score that encompasses experiences and beliefs regarding mentoring of SMM from the Healthy Aging Substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. We used a generalized estimating equations model to assess associations between perceptions of mentoring and clinically significant depressive symptoms adjusted for key covariates; models were also stratified by HIV serostatus. Among 1,246 men aged 40þ years, the strongest agreement was with the statement “I have encouraged people to be proud of their sexual orientation,” for which 770 individuals (72%) indicated “Agree” or “Strongly agree.” Each unit increase in the mean perceptions of mentoring score was associated with 8% decreased odds of having clinically significant depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio:.92; 95% CI:.85–.99). We show that SMM reported like-mentoring experiences and had positive mentoring beliefs, and that these were associated with a decreased odds of having depressive symptoms. Encouraging SMM to serve as likementors could be a way to counter depressive symptoms among this key population. There is a need for increased research regarding how mentoring programs can best be designed to benefit sexual minority mentees and mentors.

AB - Sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges, including depressive symptoms, compared with their heterosexual counterparts. Having a like-mentor, or a sexual minority mentor, is associated with improved mental well-being among SMM mentees. However, few studies have explored the potential benefits to mentors. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we calculated a perceptions of mentoring score that encompasses experiences and beliefs regarding mentoring of SMM from the Healthy Aging Substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. We used a generalized estimating equations model to assess associations between perceptions of mentoring and clinically significant depressive symptoms adjusted for key covariates; models were also stratified by HIV serostatus. Among 1,246 men aged 40þ years, the strongest agreement was with the statement “I have encouraged people to be proud of their sexual orientation,” for which 770 individuals (72%) indicated “Agree” or “Strongly agree.” Each unit increase in the mean perceptions of mentoring score was associated with 8% decreased odds of having clinically significant depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio:.92; 95% CI:.85–.99). We show that SMM reported like-mentoring experiences and had positive mentoring beliefs, and that these were associated with a decreased odds of having depressive symptoms. Encouraging SMM to serve as likementors could be a way to counter depressive symptoms among this key population. There is a need for increased research regarding how mentoring programs can best be designed to benefit sexual minority mentees and mentors.

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JO - Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

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IS - 2

ER -

The Relationship Between Serving as a Mentor and Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Men in the MACS Healthy Aging Study

Abstract

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Keywords

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UN SDGs

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