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A new study published in the Journal of Family and Community Health looked at parental sexuality disclosure, discrimination, and depression among Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women.

“There were two main goals of our study,” study author, Rodman E. Turpin told us. “First, we wanted to identify the relationship between discrimination and depression among Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women. Discrimination experienced by these populations can include social and structural racism, homophobia, transphobia, and more, so we used a comprehensive measure of discrimination for our study.”

The researchers’ second, more novel goal was to determine differences in the relationship between discrimination and depression based on disclosure of sexuality to one’s parents. The research team wanted to determine if disclosure of sexual identity to one’s parents was protective against the depression-related effects of discrimination.

“Our study was based heavily in both intersectionality and minority stress theory,” Turpin told us. “Both of these theories focus on understanding social and structural discrimination, and subsequent adverse health outcomes, among minority groups. Based on this, we hypothesized that discrimination would be associated with greater depression, consistent with much of the literature.”

What the research team wasn’t certain of was how parental disclosure of sexuality would alter that relationship. It was possible that disclosure of sexuality could create greater vulnerability within households that may not be fully affirming, leading to even greater depression associated with discrimination. The researchers found that disclosure of sexuality to one’s parents was associated with a protective effect against the depression-related effects of discrimination, however.

“Much of my work is centered on improving the overall health of Black sexual minority communities, with a focus on addressing stigma, discrimination, and related factors,” Turpin told us. “Families are one of the most important sources of support for Black sexual minority people and can help provide resilience against much of the discrimination and stigma that we are often faced with. Based on this, family disclosure of sexual identity is especially relevant to our health and overall wellness.”

The researchers utilized data from 580 participants in the MARI Study, a large-scale study of Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women in the Deep South. They tested for a relationship between discrimination and depression among three groups based on parental sexuality disclosure: “Very Open”, “Somewhat Open”, and “Not Open”. They then compared estimates for the relationship between discrimination and depression among those groups.

“We found that while discrimination was associated with greater depression among all three groups, there were some large differences based on the sexuality disclosure group,” Turpin told us. “Participants who were ‘not open’ had the strongest association between discrimination and depression, meaning they were more likely to experience depression related to discrimination.”

Those who were ‘very open’ with family reported the least discrimination-related depression. For Black sexual minorities who were very open with their families, discrimination was not as strongly related to depression, suggesting that family disclosure of sexuality may help promote resilience against discrimination.

“I wasn’t entirely stunned by the overall results, but it is notable that these findings were almost entirely unchanged even when accounting for differences related to socioeconomic and relationship status, suggesting that these were not drivers of our findings at all,” Turpin told us. “I was happy to see that disclosure was largely beneficial in our study, though it should be noted that disclosure of sexuality does carry risk, especially in unsupportive families. Coming out isn’t always easy or safe. So a person deciding if or when to come out should do so carefully and based on the full assessment of their family context.”

Turpin believes the results highlight the importance of supporting and affirming families for Black LGBTQ+ people.

“Families can be an incredible source of support and strength for Black LGBTQ+ people navigating a world that is often unsupportive, or actively harmful to us,” Turpin told us. “Especially now when we’re seeing more and more challenges against Black and LGBTQ+ rights. Loving, affirming families can make all the difference in our mental, emotional, and physical health, and our overall safety.”