Facebook use and body dissatisfaction moderate the association between discrimination and suicidality among LGBQ individuals

Avi Marciano, Yossi David, Nadav Antebi-Gruszka

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals experience increased discrimination and suicidality compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Given this disparity, an increasing number of studies have been exploring the effect of social media use on LGBQ people's well-being and mental health, yet results are largely inconsistent, even contradictory. Using data collected from 1799 Israeli LGBQ individuals, this study examined the association between sexual orientation-based discrimination and suicidality, before testing the moderating effects of LGBTQ Facebook use (defined as engagement with LGBTQ people and content on Facebook) and body dissatisfaction on the discrimination-suicidality association. We established a positive association between discrimination and suicidality and showed that the effect of Facebook engagement with LGBTQ peers and content on this association depends on users' level of dissatisfaction with their bodies. These findings illuminate the role of social media in LGBQ people's well-being and reaffirm the importance of body image within the LGBQ community.

Original languageAmerican English
Article number107729
JournalComputers in Human Behavior
Volume144
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2023

Keywords

  • Body dissatisfaction
  • Body image
  • Discrimination
  • Facebook
  • LGBQ
  • LGBTQ
  • Social media
  • Suicidality

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • General Psychology

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