<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_gp-2019-0006_s_005_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c16b1Aa"><h3>Objectives</h3><p>Self-concept distortion has been extensively linked with decreasing mental health in gay and lesbian youth. Social context has been proposed to have a moderating effect on the development of a healthy self-concept. However, no good quality review has approached these concepts with regards to LGBT youth.</p></sec><sec id="j_gp-2019-0006_s_006_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c16b2Aa"><h3>Methods</h3><p>A systematic review was conducted on the relationship between social context and self-concept in gay and lesbian youth. Twenty studies were included in the review.</p></sec><sec id="j_gp-2019-0006_s_007_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c16b3Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>Quality assessment of papers yielded moderate methodological strength. Findings implied that social context has considerable influence on self-concept development. Discrepancies in assessment methods, areas of social context examined, and one-dimensional nature of examining self-concept interferes with drawing explicit conclusions regarding the relationship between social context and self-concept.</p></sec><sec id="j_gp-2019-0006_s_008_w2aab3b7b6b1b6b1aab1c16b4Aa"><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Positivity of social context is not conclusively relatable to positive self-concept development, and similarly, a negative context is not predetermining of self-concept distortions. Building on resilience factors of gay and lesbian youth, working together with families, and advancing and utilizing available educational and community resources should mitigate the strength of overt and covert heterosexism hindering healthy self-concept development. Further longitudinal and cross-cultural research will be necessary to provide insight into the mechanisms of associations.</p></sec></abstract>

ObjectivesSelf-concept distortion has been extensively linked with decreasing mental health in gay and lesbian youth. Social context has been proposed to have a moderating effect on the development of a healthy self-concept. However, no good quality review has approached these concepts with regards to LGBT youth.MethodsA systematic review was conducted on the relationship between social context and self-concept in gay and lesbian youth. Twenty studies were included in the review.ResultsQuality assessment of papers yielded moderate methodological strength. Findings implied that social context has considerable influence on self-concept development. Discrepancies in assessment methods, areas of social context examined, and one-dimensional nature of examining self-concept interferes with drawing explicit conclusions regarding the relationship between social context and self-concept.ConclusionPositivity of social context is not conclusively relatable to positive self-concept development, and similarly, a negative context is not predetermining of self-concept distortions. Building on resilience factors of gay and lesbian youth, working together with families, and advancing and utilizing available educational and community resources should mitigate the strength of overt and covert heterosexism hindering healthy self-concept development. Further longitudinal and cross-cultural research will be necessary to provide insight into the mechanisms of associations.

Impact of Social Context on the Self-Concept of Gay and Lesbian Youth: A Systematic Review

Global Psychiatry

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

ObjectivesSelf-concept distortion has been extensively linked with decreasing mental health in gay and lesbian youth. Social context has been proposed to have...

Impact of Social Context on the Self-Concept of Gay and Lesbian Youth: A Systematic Review

Publié en ligne: 09 avr. 2019

Pages: 51 - 78

Reçu: 24 janv. 2019

Accepté: 25 févr. 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gp-2019-0006

Mots clés
gay, lesbian, youth, social context, self-esteem, self-concept, systematic review, adolescents, LGBT

© 2019 Fatima Hossain, Nuno Ferreira, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Impact of Social Context on the Self-Concept of Gay and Lesbian Youth: A Systematic Review

Publié en ligne: 09 avr. 2019

Pages: 51 - 78

Reçu: 24 janv. 2019

Accepté: 25 févr. 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/gp-2019-0006

Mots clésgay, lesbian, youth, social context, self-esteem, self-concept, systematic review, adolescents, LGBT

© 2019 Fatima Hossain, Nuno Ferreira, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Mots clés
gay, lesbian, youth, social context, self-esteem, self-concept, systematic review, adolescents, LGBT