Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In/Out of the Closet: Perceived Social Support and Outness Among LGB Youth

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sexuality & Culture Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Outness is determined by disclosing one’s sexual orientation and gender identity to people we socially engage in everyday life. For lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth, coming out may have several consequences due to stigma and discrimination toward sexual minorities. Perceived social support, a generalized sense of acceptance, has been associated with greater psychological well-being and sexual identity disclosure. The present study used a sequential explanatory mixed design to investigate perceived social support and its role in the outness of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in the Philippines. Phase 1 consisted of 239 self-identified LGB Filipinos ages 18 to 24 who completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Outness Inventory. Quantitative results showed a positive relationship between perceived social support and outness, with perceived family support being a significant predictor. Phase 2 involved 11 participants who were randomly selected from the study sample. The substantial interpretations of the qualitative interview supported and validated that perceived social support from family is a determining factor in the participants’ disclosure of sexual orientation. Further analysis revealed that perceived social support from one’s family could be a sequential process influencing the LGB youths’ coming-out decisions. Three key themes emerged in the participants’ experiences of perceived family support that served as the main stages in their coming out process: (1) Initial Reactions, (2) Readiness to Accept the Idea, and (3) Openness and Involvement. Generally, higher overall social support, especially from family members, leads to a higher degree of outness among Filipino LGB youths.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

not applicable.

Code Availability

not applicable.

References

  • Baiocco, R., Fontanesi, L., Santamaria, F., Ioverno, S., Marasco, B., Baumgartner, E., & Laghi, F. (2014). Negative parental responses to coming out and family functioning in a sample of lesbian and gay young adults. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(5), 1490–1500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9954-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butauski, M., & Horstman, H. (2020). Parents’ retrospective storytelling of their child’s coming out: Investigating contributions of communicated perspective-taking in relation to well-being. Journal of Family Communication, 20(4), 345–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2020.1794872

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brausch, A., & Decker, K. (2013). Self-esteem and social support as moderators of depression, body image, and disordered eating for suicidal ideation in adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-013-9822-0

  • Bruwer, B., Emsley, R., Kidd, M., Lochner, C., & Seedat, S. (2008). Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in youth. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 49(2), 195–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2007.09.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Button, D. M., & Levine, E. (2020). Contextualizing LGB youth’s support experiences: The conceptualization of LGB-specific social support. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2020.1838378

  • Campbell, M., Zaporozhets, O., & Yarhouse, M. A. (2017). Changes in parent-child relationships and religious views in parents of LGB youth postdisclosure. The Family Journal, 25(4), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480717741650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chrisler, A. J. (2017). Understanding parent reactions to coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual: A theoretical framework. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 9(2), 165–181.https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12194

  • Creswell, J. W., & Clark, P. (2011). V.L. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. 2nd Edition, Sage Publications, Los Angeles

  • Doan, L., & Mize, T. D. (2020). Sexual identity disclosure among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Sociological Science, 7, 504–527. https://doi.org/10.15195/v7.a21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drumm, R. D., Sedlacek, D. A., VanderWaal, C. J., Trecartin, S. M., & Carbonell, N. J. (2020). “Life is getting better”: Understanding stabilizing factors in conservative Christian families post-coming out. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 17(2), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428x.2020.1800544

  • Dueñas, J. M., Morales-Vives, F., & Galea, N. (2022). Psychological issues among Spanish adolescents and young people when coming out of the closet to their families. Psychological Reports, 003329412110695. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211069518

  • Dusek, G. A., Yurova, Y. V., & Ruppel, C. P. (2015). Using social media and targeted snowball sampling to survey a hard-to-reach population: A case study. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 10, 279–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eagle, D. E., Hybels, C. F., & Proeschold-Bell, R. J. (2018). Perceived social support, received social support, and depression among clergy. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407518776134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eichner, K. V. (2017). The relationship between outness and social support for LGB youth (Publication No. 10188853) [Doctoral dissertation, Washington State University]. ProQuest Dissertation Publishing

  • Evans, W. R., Bliss, S. J., Rincon, C. M., Johnston, S. L., Bhakta, J. P., Webb-Murphy, J. A., & Balsam, K. F. (2018). Military service members’ satisfaction with outness: Implications for mental health. Armed Forces & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X17751111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41, 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fields, E. L. (2020). Tips for parents of LGBTQ youth.Johns Hopkins Medicine Wellness and Prevention.https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/tips-for-parents-of-lgbtq-youth

  • Ferrer, A. K., Maranan, L., Luntaga, J., Rosario., D., & Tus., A., J (2021). The exploration on the lived experiences and challenges faced of the gay college students amidst COVID-19. International Journal Of Advance Research And Innovative Ideas In Education, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.13724512.v1

  • Follmer, K. B., Sabat, I. E., & Siuta, R. L. (2019). Disclosure of stigmatized identities at work: An interdisciplinary review and agenda for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gacusan, C. G., Uy, D. M., Yu, D. A., & Hechanova, M. (2020). Sexual identity management of GLB emerging adults in social support contexts. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 17, 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2020.1746724

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garvey, J. C., Matsumura, J. L., Silvis, J. A., Kiemele, R., Eagan, H., & Chowdhury, P. (2018). Sexual borderlands: Exploring outness among bisexual, pansexual, and sexually fluid undergraduate students. Journal of College Student Development, 59(6), 666–680. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2018.0064

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, K. A., Rostosky, S. S., Odom, R. D., & Riggle, E. D. (2013). The positive aspects of being the parent of an LGBTQ child. Family Process, 52(2), 325–337. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, B. J., Yip, P., Garabiles, M. R., Lao, C. K., Chan, E., & Marx, B. P. (2019). Psychometric validation of the PTSD Checklist-5 among female Filipino migrant workers. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1571378. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1571378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartig, M., Markey, C., Hart, D., & August, K. (2019). Outness, social support, and well-being in gay and lesbian couples [Master’s thesis]. Graduate School-Camden Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. https://doi.org/10.7282/t3-6p2a-2e29

  • Heatherington, L., & Lavner, J. A. (2008). Coming to terms with coming out: review and recommendations for family systems-focused research. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(3), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.22.3.329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jhang, J. C. (2018). Scaffolding in family relationships: A grounded theory of coming out to family. Family Relations, 67(1), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, B. (2001). Toward a new classification of nonexperimental quantitative research. Educational Researcher, 30(2), 3–13. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x030002003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaniuka, A., Pugh, K. C., Jordan, M., Brooks, B., Dodd, J., Mann, A. K., Williams, S. L., & Hirsch, J. K. (2019). Stigma and suicide risk among the LGBTQ population: Are anxiety and depression to blame, and can connectedness to the LGBTQ community help? Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 23(2), 205–220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kann, L., McManus, T., Harris, W. A., Shanklin, S. L., Flint, K. H., Queen, B., Lowry, R., Chyen, D., Whittle, L., Thornton, J., Lim, C., Bradford, D., Yamakawa, Y., Leon, M., Brener, N., & Ethier, K. A. (2018). Youth risk behavior surveillance - United States, 2017. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C.: 2002), 67(8), 1–114. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6708a1

  • Kavanaugh, S. A., Taylor, A. B., Stuhlsatz, G. L., Neppl, T. K., & Lohman, B. J. (2019). Family and community support among sexual minorities of color: The role of sexual minority identity prominence and outness on psychological well-being. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 1–17.https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428x.2019.1593279

  • King, E. B., Mohr, J. J., Peddie, C. I., Jones, K. P., & Kendra, M. (2017). Predictors of identity management: An exploratory experience-sampling study of lesbian, gay, and bisexual workers. Journal of Management, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314539350

  • Krueger, E. A., Meyer, I. H., & Upchurch, D. M. (2018). Sexual orientation group differences in perceived stress and depressive symptoms among young adults in the United States. LGBT Health, 5(4), 242–249. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2017.0228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, P. (2013). Resilience in lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 17(4), 371–383. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868313490248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. Y. S., Goldstein, S. E., Dik, B. J., & Rodas, J. M. (2020). Sources of social support and gender in perceived stress and individual adjustment among Latina/o college-attending emerging adults. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 26(1), 134–147. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legate, N., Ryan, R. M., & Weinstein, N. (2012). Is coming out always a “good thing”? Exploring the relations of autonomy support, outness, and wellness for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(2), 145–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550611411929

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, B., Cardon, P., Poddar, A., & Fontenot, R. (2013). Does sample size matter in qualitative research?: A review of qualitative interviews in is research. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 54(1), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2013.11645667

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, E., Birkett, M., & Mustanski, B. (2016). Families matter: social support and mental health trajectories among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.07.026

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, K. A., Lucas, C., Goldbach, J., Holloway, I., & Castro, C. (2020). “You don’t want to be a candidate for punishment”: A qualitative analysis of LGBT service member “outness. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 18, 144–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00445-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meidlinger, P. C., & Hope, D. A. (2014). Differentiating disclosure and concealment in measurement of outness for sexual minorities: The Nebraska outness scale. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(4), 489–497. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000080

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohr, J. J., & Fassinger, R. E. (2000). Measuring dimensions of lesbian and gay male experience. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 33, 66–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osman, A., Lamis, D. A., Freedenthal, S., Gutierrez, P. M., & McNaughton-Cassill, M. (2014). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support: Analyses of internal reliability, measurement invariance, and correlates across gender. Journal of Personality Assessment, 96(1), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2013.838170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Páramo, M. F., Martínez, Z., Tinajero, C., & Rodríguez, M. S. (2014). The impact of perceived social support in first-year Spanish college students. Journal of International Scientific Publications: Educational Alternatives, 12, 289–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Parra, L. A., Bell, T. S., Benibgui, M., Helm, J. L., & Hastings, P. D. (2017). The buffering effect of peer support on the links between family rejection and psychosocial adjustment in LGB emerging adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 35(6), 854–871. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517699713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pastrana, A. Jr. (2014). It takes a family: An examination of outness among black LGBT people in the United States. Journal of Family Issues, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X14530971

  • Pollitt, A. M., Muraco, J. A., Grossman, A. H., & Russell, S. T. (2017). Disclosure stress, social support, and depressive symptoms among cisgender bisexual youth. Journal of Marriage and Family, 79(5), 1278–1294. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, E., & Prosek, E. (2019). The lived experiences of GLB college students who feel supported by their parents. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 16(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2019.1593278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Psychological Association of the Philippines. (2011). Statement of the Psychological Association of the Philippines on non-discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. Philippine Journal of Psychology, 44(2), 229–230. http://pages.upd.edu.ph/sites/default/files/ejmanalastas/files/pap_2011_lgbt_nondiscrimination_statement.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Psychological Association of the Philippines [PAP] (2020, August 14). PAP statement upholding the basic human rights and well-being of LGBT persons based on the psychological science of SOGIE. https://pap.ph/position-paper/12

  • Rances, O. T., & Hechanova, M. M. (2014). Negative self-identity, autonomy support, and disclosure among young Filipino gay men. Philippine Journal of Psychology, 47(1)

  • Reed, J. L., Stratton, S. P., Koprowski, G., Dillon, C., Dean, J. B., Yarhouse, M. A., & Bucher, E. K. (2020). “Coming out” to parents in a Christian context: A consensual qualitative analysis of LGB student experiences. Counseling and Values, 65(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/cvj.12121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothman, E. F., Sullivan, M., Keyes, S., & Boehmer, U. (2012). Parents’ supportive reactions to sexual orientation disclosure associated with better health: Results from a population-based survey of LGB adults in Massachusetts. Journal of Homosexuality, 59(2), 186–200.https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2012.648878

  • Rubinsky, V., & Cooke-Jackson, A. (2021). “It would be nice to know I’m allowed to exist:“ Designing ideal familial adolescent messages for LGBTQ Women’s Sexual Health. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 16(2), 221–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2021.1880346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, W. S., Legate, N., & Weinstein, N. (2015). Coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual: The lasting impact of initial disclosure experiences. Self and Identity. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2015.1029516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabat, I., Trump, R., & King, E. (2014). Individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors relating to disclosure decisions of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 1(4), 431–440. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000061

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salimi, A., & Bozorgpour, F. (2012). Perceived social support and social-emotional loneliness. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 69, 2009–2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.12.158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, K., & De Jesus, C. (2020). Prevalence of bullying among LGBT Students in Nueva Ecija. Open Access Library Journal, 7, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1106066

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., & Pierce, G. R. (1990). Social support: The search for theory. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9(1), 133–147. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1990.9.1.133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snapp, S. D., Watson, R. J., Russel, S. T., Diaz, R. M., & Ryan, C. (2015). Social support networks for LGBT young adults: Low-cost strategies for positive adjustment. Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szymanski, D. M., & Sung, M. R. (2013). Asian cultural values, internalized heterosexism, and sexual orientation disclosure among Asian American sexual minority persons. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 7(3), 257–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2013.812930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, X., & Poudel, A. N. (2018). Exploring challenges and problems faced by LGBT students in the Philippines: A qualitative study. J Public Health Policy Plan, 2(3), 9–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. A., & Goodvin, R. (2016). Social support and developmental psychopathology. Developmental Psychopathology, 1–50. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119125556.devpsy403

  • Tonsing, K., Zimet, G. D., & Tse, S. (2012). Assessing social support among South Asians: The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Asian journal of psychiatry, 5(2), 164–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2012.02.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, R. J., Grossman, A. H., & Russell, S. T. (2019). Sources of social support and mental health among LGB youth. Youth & Society, 51(1), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X16660110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weisz, B. M., Quinn, D. M., & Williams, M. K. (2015). Out and healthy: Being more “out” about a concealable stigmatized identity may boost the health benefits of social support. Journal of health psychology, 21(12), 2934–2943. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105315589392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wongpakaran, T. (2011). Reliability and validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Thai version. Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 7(1), 161–166. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901107010161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ybarra, M. L., Mitchell, K. J., Palmer, N. A., & Reisner, S. L. (2015). Online social support as a buffer against online and offline peer and sexual victimization among U.S. LGBT and non-LGBT youth. Child abuse & neglect, 39, 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.08.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yolac, E., & Meric, M. (2020). Internalized homophobia and depression levels in LGBT individuals. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 57(1), 304–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12564

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 30–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, 1008, Manila, Philippines

    Marc Eric S. Reyes, Nickaella B. Bautista, Gemaima Reign A. Betos, Kirby Ivan S. Martin, Sophia Therese N. Sapio, Ma. Criselda T. Pacquing & John Manuel R. Kliatchko

Authors
  1. Marc Eric S. Reyes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nickaella B. Bautista
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gemaima Reign A. Betos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kirby Ivan S. Martin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sophia Therese N. Sapio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ma. Criselda T. Pacquing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. John Manuel R. Kliatchko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc Eric S. Reyes.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of Interest/Competing interests

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare relevant to the content of this article.

Ethics Approval

All procedures performed in the present study that involved human participants were per the ethical standards of the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) of the College of Science, University of Santo Tomas.

Consent to Participate

The current study gave informed consent before voluntary participation. In addition, participants were briefed on the nature of the study, were assured that all data collected would be kept confidential, and that participation was purely voluntary without remuneration.

Consent for Publication

not applicable.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Reyes, M.S., Bautista, N.B., Betos, G.R. et al. In/Out of the Closet: Perceived Social Support and Outness Among LGB Youth. Sexuality & Culture 27, 290–309 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-10013-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-022-10013-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation