Affirming and Nonaffirming Religious Beliefs Predicting Depression and Suicide Risk Among Latter-Day Saint Sexual Minorities

Sexual minorities (SMs) who are current/former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDSs) report high levels of depression and risk for suicide. Recent research has suggested that specific LDS religious beliefs may be related to these negative mental health outcomes. Using two independent online samples of current/former LDS SMs (Sample 1 = 403; Sample 2 = 545), we tested associations of affirming/nonaffirming LDS beliefs with depression and suicide risk cross-sectionally (Sample 1), and then longitudinally (Sample 2) tested if religious/spiritual struggles and internalized stigma mediated these relationships. Cross-sectionally, nonaffirming LDS beliefs were associated with higher depression, but effects disappeared when religious/spiritual struggles and internalized stigma were entered in the model. Affirming LDS beliefs were unrelated to depression and suicide risk. Longitudinally, after including earlier levels of internalized stigma, religious/spiritual struggles, depression, and suicide risk as controls, nonaffirming beliefs indirectly predicted more depression 2 months later (Time 3) through internalized stigma at 1 month (Time 2). These results suggest LDS beliefs may play an important role in the development and experience of depression for LDS sexual minorities. Public Significance Statement Latter-day Saint (LDS) sexual minorities often face unique challenges related to their sexual identities and religious beliefs. In this study, we found that when LDS sexual minorities hold nonaffirming religious beliefs about their sexual orientation, then they tend to believe other stigmatizing messages, which leads them to feel more depressed. Clinicians working with LDS, or other religious sexual minority clients, might benefit from targeting stigmatizing religious messages in therapy.