In These Spaces: Perceived Neighborhood Quality as a Protective Factor Against Discrimination for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Adults

LGB adults are at elevated risk for experiences of discrimination and related psychological health concerns. Surprisingly, research on the factors that may buffer against discrimination and its deleterious psychological effects in LGB adults has been limited. The researcher examined perceived neighborhood quality as a protective factor in the association between past-year discrimination and psychological distress (i.e., depression/anxiety symptoms) for LGB adults compared with heterosexual adults. Data were drawn from LGB (n 431; n_gay 200; n_lesbian 102; n_bisexual 129) and heterosexual (n 7,340) samples surveyed in an urban Midwestern county. Results revealed a significant 3-way interaction (Past-year discrimination Perceived neighborhood quality Sexual minority status; B .30, SE .07, p .001). For LGB but not heterosexual respondents, perceived neighborhood quality emerged as a significant moderator of the association between discrimination and psychological distress (B .32, SE .06, p .001). Specifically, discrimination was not significantly related to psychological distress for LGB respondents perceiving higher neighborhood quality, thus indicating a buffering effect. By contrast, the association between discrimination and psychological distress remained significant for LGB respondents reporting lower perceived neighborhood quality and heterosexual respondents. These patterns of results held when controlling for demographic variables and when examining the gay, lesbian, and bisexual subsamples separately. Results suggest that perceived neighborhood quality may be a culturally relevant protective factor for LGB adults facing discrimination.