A Longitudinal Analysis of Family Rejection and Supportive Family Member on Depressive Symptoms Among Sexual Minority Youth

Background: Family rejection toward sexual minority youth (SMY) has a profound influence on SMY’s mental health. While the influence of family on SMY children’s mental health was well-established, less is known about whether and how family attitudes change and how these changes relate to depressive symptoms. This study examines longitudinal changes in family rejection among SMY and tests whether the presence of a supportive family member is associated with initial levels and changes in family rejection, as well as their association with depressive symptoms over time.

Methods: A national online longitudinal dataset was used for multilevel random-coefficient growth modeling analysis. A total of 947 SMY participants across the United States aged 14-17 were recruited in 2018 and asked to complete a survey every 6 months for 7 time points. Family rejection was modeled as an outcome using 4 hierarchical models to examine its change over time. Having at least one supportive family member was included as a time-invariant predictor to test its effect on initial levels and change in family rejection. Depressive symptoms were examined as a time-varying outcome to assess their association with family rejection over time.

Results: Results showed a significant negative linear slope of family rejection (b = -.92, SE = .05, p < .001) and a significant positive quadratic effect (b = .09, SE = .01, p < .001), indicating that while the family rejection level decreases initially, the rate of decline slowed down and slightly reversed as time goes on. SMY with at least one supportive family member reported had significantly lower family rejection at baseline (b = -2.27, SE = .22, p < .001) but did not moderate family rejection over time. Further analyses showed that higher levels of family rejection were significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms across time (b = 0.20, SE = .02, p < .001). No significant quadratic change in depressive symptoms was observed, and having at least one supportive family member was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: Findings extended prior research by identifying a non-linear trajectory of family rejection, suggesting that although family rejection may decrease over time, improvement may slow down or partially reverse. The association between family rejection and depressive symptoms highlights the ongoing impact of family dynamics on SMY’s mental health. These results underscore the importance of sustained family-based and structural interventions, particularly in the context of persistent heteronormative social structures.