Childhood Threat and Deprivation and Links to Mental Health Behaviors and Health Risk Behaviors Among Young Sexual Minority Men: The Differential Roles of Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation.
Poon J, Zelaya D, et al. • International journal of environmental research and public health • 2026
Childhood threat was associated with mental health and health risk behaviors via emotion regulation difficulties, while deprivation was associated with these outcomes through both emotion regulation difficulties and mindfulness among young adult sexual minority men.
Key Findings
Results
Both childhood threat and deprivation were positively correlated with mental health and health risk behaviors among young adult sexual minority men.
Sample consisted of 317 SMM (mean age = 26.70; SD = 3.87; ages 18-35; 59.3% White) recruited from the community.
Mental health behaviors were assessed using a composite score of self-reported depressive, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and suicidality.
Health risk behavior score included the Sexual Compulsivity Scale, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and smoking history (Y/N).
Childhood experiences of threat and deprivation were assessed via the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.
Results
Childhood threat was associated with both mental health and health risk behaviors through emotion regulation difficulties.
Threat (i.e., emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) was linked to outcomes via emotion regulation (ER) difficulties as a mediator.
This finding is consistent with the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP) framework.
ER difficulties were assessed using self-report measures.
Mindfulness did not serve as a significant mediating mechanism for the threat-to-outcome pathway.
Results
Childhood deprivation was associated with mental health and health risk behaviors through both emotion regulation difficulties and mindfulness.
Deprivation (e.g., physical and emotional neglect) was linked to outcomes via both ER difficulties and dispositional mindfulness as mediators.
This differential mediation pattern distinguishes deprivation from threat in terms of psychological mechanisms.
Dispositional mindfulness was assessed using self-report.
The finding suggests that deprivation uniquely impairs mindfulness capacities in addition to emotion regulation.
Results
Emotion regulation difficulties served as a mediating mechanism for both types of childhood adversity (threat and deprivation) linking to adult outcomes.
ER difficulties mediated the relationship between threat and both mental health and health risk behaviors.
ER difficulties also mediated the relationship between deprivation and both mental health and health risk behaviors.
This suggests ER is a common transdiagnostic mechanism across both forms of childhood adversity in this population.
Findings extend prior work from predominantly heterosexual samples to sexual minority men specifically.
Background
Young adult sexual minority men disproportionately experience childhood interpersonal trauma compared to heterosexual peers.
The paper identifies SMM as a population with elevated rates of childhood interpersonal trauma exposure.
Despite this elevated risk, mechanisms linking childhood adversity to adult psychopathology had not previously been examined specifically among SMM.
Prior studies of ER and mindfulness as mechanisms linking trauma to adult outcomes were conducted in predominantly heterosexual samples.
Background
The study applied the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP) framework to differentiate the roles of threat versus deprivation in predicting adult psychopathology among SMM.
The DMAP framework proposes that threat and deprivation are differentially linked to adult psychopathology.
Threat is defined as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; deprivation is defined as physical and emotional neglect.
This is the first study to examine whether ER or mindfulness differentially mediates threat vs. deprivation pathways among SMM.
Results supported the DMAP framework's differential predictions for threat and deprivation.
Conclusions
The authors suggest that treatments targeting emotion regulation skills may be particularly beneficial for SMM with histories of abuse, while mindfulness-based interventions may be especially relevant for those with histories of neglect/deprivation.
Treatment aimed at bolstering ER skills was recommended for those with histories of abuse (threat).
Treatment aimed at bolstering mindfulness skills was recommended for those with histories of deprivation.
These recommendations follow from the differential mediating roles of ER and mindfulness identified in the study.
The authors frame these as potential strategies to reduce psychopathology risk among SMM.
What This Means
This research suggests that young gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority men who experienced childhood abuse or neglect are at greater risk for mental health problems (such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts) and risky behaviors (such as compulsive sexual behavior, heavy alcohol use, and smoking) in adulthood. The study examined 317 men between the ages of 18 and 35 to understand why these connections exist — specifically looking at two psychological factors: difficulty regulating emotions and the capacity for mindfulness (being aware and present in the moment).
The study found that the type of childhood adversity matters. Childhood abuse (called 'threat') was linked to worse outcomes primarily because it led to difficulty managing emotions. Childhood neglect (called 'deprivation') was linked to worse outcomes through both difficulty managing emotions and reduced mindfulness. This means that neglect may have a broader impact on psychological functioning, affecting not just emotional regulation but also the ability to be present and aware.
This research suggests that mental health treatments for sexual minority men with trauma histories might be more effective if they are tailored to the type of adversity experienced. Specifically, therapies focused on building emotion regulation skills (such as dialectical behavior therapy) may be especially helpful for those who experienced abuse, while mindfulness-based therapies may be particularly valuable for those who experienced neglect. These findings highlight the importance of asking not just whether someone experienced childhood adversity, but what kind — as this may shape which therapeutic approaches will be most helpful.
Poon J, Zelaya D, Rajasankar V, Murphy M, Russell R, Sun S. (2026). Childhood Threat and Deprivation and Links to Mental Health Behaviors and Health Risk Behaviors Among Young Sexual Minority Men: The Differential Roles of Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation.. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23050609