社會排除經驗對男同志心理健康的影響

The Relationship between Social Exclusion and Mental Health among Gay Men in Taiwan

研究目的：歐美學界對男同志心理健康狀況已有部分研究成果，但臺灣仍缺乏相關研究。因此本研究奠基於社會排除觀點，以了解男同志心理健康狀況。研究方法：本研究藉網路問卷，在2014年7月，針對有男同志認同的人，蒐集個人背景變項、社會排除經驗（包括被不友善對待經驗及錢不夠對覓食帶來的影響兩個次量表）、及心理健康狀況（包括BSRS-5、自傷及自殺意念及行動、心理健康自評及心理健康對生活影響四個次量表）資料。研究結果：共270位偏年輕、有高學歷、多數住於臺灣北部的男同志填答了問卷。193位（71.5%）男同志有過因同志身分，被他人不友善對待的經驗；175位（64.8%）男同志經歷過錢不夠對覓食帶來的影響。雖然參與這次研究的男同志有被社會排除經驗的不算少數；但整體看來，他們心理健康狀況算不錯。一些個人背景因素，例如身心障礙狀況，會使男同志較易被社會排除、或使心理健康狀況有差異。但當被社會排除程度越高，男同志心理健康狀況越不好（β = -.38, p < 0.001）。研究結論：社會排除經驗的確對男同志心理健康有負面影響。本研究在文末針對相關議題進行討論，並提出建議。

Purpose: Research has shown a connection between experiences of social exclusion and gay men’s mental health in the West. However, this connection has not been examined in Taiwan. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between being socially excluded and mental health among gay men. The goal is to help mental health practitioners to provide more appropriate services for gay men. Methods: Participants were recruited via the Internet to answer an online survey in July, 2014. Participants completed the Social Exclusion Questionnaire (which includes the Treated Unfriendly by Others Scale and the Hunger by Poverty Scale), the Mental Health Questionnaire (which includes the BSRS-5 Scale, the Self-Hurt and Suicide Scale, the Self-Rated Mental Health Scale, and the Mental Component Summary of 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey), and they provided their sociodemographic information. Results: A total of 270 gay men responded to the survey. Most of them were young (mean age = 27.9), educated, and lived with their parents in the northern part of Taiwan. Over two-thirds of them (193, 71.5%) were treated in an unfriendly way by others because of their gay identity, and 175 (64.8%) of them were hungry due to poverty. Although most of them had experienced social exclusion, their mental health was good. Individuals with particular issues (e.g., disability) had scores on the Social Exclusion [t(268)=3.57, p<.001] and the Mental Health questionnaires [t(268)=-5.59, p<.001] that were statistically different from those without those issues. Overall, The analysis identified a significant negative relationship between the experience of social exclusion and mental health among gay men in Taiwan [β=-.38, p<.001]. Conclusions: The experience of social exclusion and poverty may be important for understanding the mental health of gay men in Taiwan. However, though the experiences of being treated unfriendly by others among gay men has been considered, gay men’s poverty and the dynamic between poverty and mental health among gay men have not been examined carefully in Taiwan. Additionally, the intersectionality of oppression experienced by gay men with different background needed to be emphasized. Mental health practitioners supporting gay men should provide services to address issues stemming from social exclusion and poverty.