Multilevel Analysis of Sociopolitical Contexts, Social Support, Mental Health, and Alcohol Use Among Partnered Sexual Minority Latino Men in the U.S.

Objective The objective of this paper is to examine how state-level characteristics relate to social support and mental health outcomes among Latino sexual minority men in the U.S. Methods Multilevel linear regression analyses were used to estimate the effect of social support and contextual-level characteristics on mental health and alcohol use among Latino sexual minority men ( n = 612). Individual-level data were collected via a national, online survey between November 2018 and May 2019. State-level data were drawn from the 2019 American Community Survey and the Human Rights Campaign’s 2018 State Equality Index score cards. Results The interaction between friend support and supportive LGBTQ+ policies was associated with anxiety ( B = 1.77; 95% CI 0.69, 2.85; p = 0.001) and depression ( B = 2.25; 95% CI 0.99, 3.50; p <0.001). The interaction between friend support and Latino population size was associated with greater problematic alcohol use ( B = 0.06; 95% CI 0.03, 0.10; p <0.001). The interaction between partner support and supportive LGBTQ+ policies were also associated problematic drinking ( B = −1.72; 95% CI −3.05, −0.38; p <0.012). Conclusions Contextual factors can affect the everyday experiences of Latino sexual minority men. The effect of social support on mental health outcomes may depend on state-level factors. Public health efforts that seek to address the mental health and problematic drinking behaviors of Latino sexual minority men must consider the impact of macro-level policies on program and intervention development.