Belonging to the General and LGBTQ+ Communities: Their Role in the Link Between Attachment and Depression in Sexual Minority U.S. Adults

Minority stress increases the risk of insecure attachment and mental health problems in sexual minority individuals, whereas a sense of belonging—particularly to the LGBTQ+ Community—serves as a protective factor. This study aimed to enhance the understanding of attachment security and belonging as protective factors against depression in LGBTQ+ adults. Using a correlational, survey-based design (N = 364), we examined whether a sense of belonging (SOB) to the LGBTQ+ community mediates the association between attachment security and depression and whether this mediation varies across levels of SOB to the general community. Regression model results generated with Hayes’s PROCESS macro for SPSS indicated that SOB to the LGBTQ+ Community mediated the negative association between attachment security and depression, providing support for this protective mechanism and conceptually replicating prior research. No evidence emerged that this mediation effect varied with SOB to the general community. Exploratory analyses suggested that anxious and avoidant attachment may differ in the extent to which SOB to the LGBTQ+ and general communities mediate their relationships with depression. Despite appropriate statistical power, the study’s cross-sectional nature limits causal inferences. The findings have implications for addressing health inequities, increasing access to LGBTQ+ Community resources, and promoting LGBTQ+ well-being.