2014/11/17 by Chana Etengoff, Colette Daiute · 2 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy #Social Media and Politics #Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1080/1550428x.2014.964442
openalex publication_date 2014/11/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Gay men use social networking sites and blogs more than heterosexual men (Harris, 2010). However, little is known about how they communicate online while coming out. Yet, coming out often results in a loss of social support for gay youths from religious backgrounds, suggesting that alternative supports such as families of choice and online networks may be particularly beneficial (Saltzburg, 2007). The present study addresses this gap by focusing on how gay emerging adults (N = 23) and their religious family allies (N = 15) utilize Facebook to make sense of their experiences by communicating with families of choice and origin. Narrative analysis suggests that gay participants primarily make sense of familial and religious challenges by developing online peer supports (i.e., families of choice) in contrast to their family allies’ focus on strengthening existing family-of-origin relationships via online information exchanges. Participants’ reported online sociorelational benefits largely contradict recent research indicating that Internet use may lead to negative mental health outcomes (Kross et al. 2013; Krämer & Winter, 2008). The present study therefore highlights the need for further research to assess the generalizability of online sense-making benefits to other cultural, religious, and sexual minority groups that may be confronting coming-out challenges.