Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 949 Dutch adolescents aged 15 to 18 to examine whether peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence mediate the relationship between sexual orientation and internalizing problems. Additionally, the study explored whether sex assigned at birt...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2536800 |
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| _version_ | 1849303884611190784 |
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| author | Gabriël van Beusekom Kate L. Collier Mark Assink Henny M.W. Bos |
| author_facet | Gabriël van Beusekom Kate L. Collier Mark Assink Henny M.W. Bos |
| author_sort | Gabriël van Beusekom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 949 Dutch adolescents aged 15 to 18 to examine whether peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence mediate the relationship between sexual orientation and internalizing problems. Additionally, the study explored whether sex assigned at birth moderates these mediation effects. Serial mediation was found through peer victimization and future beliefs, and through peer victimization and personal competence, but only for male-assigned adolescents. Male-assigned adolescents with same-sex attraction (SSA) reported more peer victimization, which related to more negative future beliefs and less personal competence, which both were associated with more internalizing problems. For all adolescents, future beliefs also independently mediated the SSA – internalizing problems relationship. SSA was directly related to more negative future beliefs, which in turn related to more internalizing problems, regardless of peer victimization. These findings stress the need to address peer victimization and promote psychological resources to improve mental health in sexually diverse youth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1dc696e8b9c48958e853c46874b2d2b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0267-3843 2164-4527 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1dc696e8b9c48958e853c46874b2d2b2025-08-20T03:55:54ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Adolescence and Youth0267-38432164-45272025-12-0130110.1080/02673843.2025.2536800Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problemsGabriël van Beusekom0Kate L. Collier1Mark Assink2Henny M.W. Bos3Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsIndependent ScholarResearch Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsResearch Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 949 Dutch adolescents aged 15 to 18 to examine whether peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence mediate the relationship between sexual orientation and internalizing problems. Additionally, the study explored whether sex assigned at birth moderates these mediation effects. Serial mediation was found through peer victimization and future beliefs, and through peer victimization and personal competence, but only for male-assigned adolescents. Male-assigned adolescents with same-sex attraction (SSA) reported more peer victimization, which related to more negative future beliefs and less personal competence, which both were associated with more internalizing problems. For all adolescents, future beliefs also independently mediated the SSA – internalizing problems relationship. SSA was directly related to more negative future beliefs, which in turn related to more internalizing problems, regardless of peer victimization. These findings stress the need to address peer victimization and promote psychological resources to improve mental health in sexually diverse youth.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2536800Sexual orientationpeer victimizationfuture beliefspersonal competenceinternalizing problems |
| spellingShingle | Gabriël van Beusekom Kate L. Collier Mark Assink Henny M.W. Bos Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems International Journal of Adolescence and Youth Sexual orientation peer victimization future beliefs personal competence internalizing problems |
| title | Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems |
| title_full | Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems |
| title_fullStr | Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems |
| title_short | Youth mental health: how same-sex attraction, peer victimization, future beliefs, and personal competence relate to internalizing problems |
| title_sort | youth mental health how same sex attraction peer victimization future beliefs and personal competence relate to internalizing problems |
| topic | Sexual orientation peer victimization future beliefs personal competence internalizing problems |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2025.2536800 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gabrielvanbeusekom youthmentalhealthhowsamesexattractionpeervictimizationfuturebeliefsandpersonalcompetencerelatetointernalizingproblems AT katelcollier youthmentalhealthhowsamesexattractionpeervictimizationfuturebeliefsandpersonalcompetencerelatetointernalizingproblems AT markassink youthmentalhealthhowsamesexattractionpeervictimizationfuturebeliefsandpersonalcompetencerelatetointernalizingproblems AT hennymwbos youthmentalhealthhowsamesexattractionpeervictimizationfuturebeliefsandpersonalcompetencerelatetointernalizingproblems |