Does Self-Concept Clarity Relate to Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Gay Men? The Mediating Effects of Sexual Orientation Concealment and Gay Community Connectedness

Introduction Surveys have shown that Chinese gay men have high levels of depressive symptoms. Self-concept clarity is a critical intrapersonal psychological factor affording the alleviation of depressive symptoms. The objective of this research is to investigate whether self-concept clarity is related to depressive symptoms in gay men within the Chinese context and explore the specific mediation mechanisms of sexual orientation concealment and gay community connectedness. Methods Data were collected online from 405 Chinese gay men in 2020. Participants were assessed with scales regarding self-concept clarity, sexual orientation concealment, gay community connectedness, and depressive symptoms. Results Self-concept clarity was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms in Chinese gay men. The relation between self-concept clarity and depressive symptoms was mediated by sexual orientation concealment, and sexual orientation concealment and gay community connectedness also played a sequential mediation effect between self-concept clarity and depressive symptoms. Conclusion The improvement of self-concept clarity may be one of the foremost concerns for the decrease in depressive symptoms among Chinese gay men. Self-concept clarity is related to reduced depressive symptoms through lower sexual orientation concealment and higher gay community connectedness. Policy Implications Policy makers should provide more support for organizations and institutions that focus on improving the mental health of Chinese gay men and encourage these organizations and institutions to popularize effective self-adjustment methods (such as improving self-concept clarity) that can help reduce depressive symptoms among gay men. In addition, policy makers should take measures to further enhance social tolerance of homosexuality and provide more gay communication platforms for Chinese gay men.