Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (May 2019)
Negative Facebook experiences among Taiwanese gay and bisexual men in emerging adulthood: associations with traditional harassment victimization and quality of life
Abstract
Wei-Hsin Lu,1 Yu-Ping Chang,2 Chien-Ho Lin,3 Cheng-Fang Yen4,51Department of Psychiatry, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chia-Yi, Taiwan; 2School of Nursing, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, New York, USA; 3Department of Psychiatry, Chimei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan; 4Graduate Institute of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 5Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanPurpose: To examine the prevalence of negative Facebook (FB) experiences among gay and bisexual men in emerging adulthood in Taiwan and their association with traditional harassment victimization and quality of life (QOL).Materials and methods: In total, 302 gay or bisexual men aged 20–25 years old with experience of FB use in the preceding year were recruited. We measured the types, severities, and prevalence of negative FB experiences by self-report questionnaires. Traditional harassment victimization experiences were assessed using the adapted form of Chinese-version School Bullying Experience Questionnaire (C-SBEQ). QOL was evaluated by The World Health Organization (WHO) Questionnaire on Quality of Life: Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF). Regression analysis was used to assess respective associations.Results: Among the study participants, 26.5% reported having negative FB experiences in the preceding year. Negative FB experiences were significantly associated with victimization of verbal ridicule and relational exclusion, but not physical aggression or theft of belongings. Negative FB experiences were also significantly associated with unsatisfactory QOL in all domains except social relationships, even the effects of traditional bullying victimization were controlled.Conclusion: Negative FB experiences are closely associated with both real life victimization and QOL in gay and bisexual men. Subjective experiences on social networking sites require consideration in conception of measures to reduce bullying victimization as well as improve QOL in this population.Keywords: bullying, social networking sites, sexual minorities, well-being, negative online experiences
