Developmental assets and mental health among black sexual minority male adolescents: A dominance analysis of depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors.
Boyd D, Oh H, et al. • Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence • 2026
Positive identity demonstrated the strongest relative contribution to both depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors among Black sexual minority male adolescents, highlighting the importance of identity-based developmental assets in promoting mental health in this population.
Key Findings
Results
Positive identity was the strongest relative contributor to both depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors among Black sexual minority male adolescents.
Dominance analysis was used to evaluate relative contributions of multiple developmental assets simultaneously
Positive identity showed the strongest relative contribution in dominance analysis for both outcome variables
In covariate-adjusted regression models, positive identity remained significantly associated with suicidal behaviors
Positive identity was also significantly associated with depressive symptoms in adjusted regression models
Results
Social competencies and family support contributed meaningfully to variation in suicidal behaviors among BSMM adolescents.
Social competencies and family support were identified as meaningful contributors specifically to suicidal behaviors in dominance analysis
Correlation analyses indicated that higher levels of social competencies and family support were associated with lower suicidal behaviors
These assets did not show the same level of relative contribution to depressive symptoms as they did to suicidal behaviors
Results
Mattering and belonging and positive values showed minor but notable contributions to depressive symptoms.
Dominance analysis revealed mattering and belonging and positive values had smaller relative contributions compared to positive identity for depressive symptoms
Despite smaller dominance analysis contributions, mattering and belonging remained significantly associated with suicidal behaviors in covariate-adjusted regression models
These assets were described as showing 'minor but notable contributions' to depressive symptoms
Results
Food insecurity was associated with depressive symptoms in covariate-adjusted regression models.
Food insecurity emerged as a significant covariate in adjusted regression models predicting depressive symptoms
Food insecurity was included as a covariate alongside the developmental assets in regression analyses
Food insecurity did not appear as a significant factor in the suicidal behaviors model in the same way
Results
Higher levels of positive identity, social competencies, and family support were each associated with lower depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors.
Correlation analyses demonstrated inverse relationships between these three assets and both mental health outcomes
Sample consisted of 383 Black sexual minority male adolescents aged 14–17 in the Midwestern United States
Data were collected via an online survey
The study focused on a population that faces intersecting minority stressors related to both racial and sexual minority identities
Methods
The study employed dominance analysis to rank the relative importance of five developmental assets in predicting mental health outcomes.
Developmental assets examined included positive identity, social competencies, family support, positive values, and mattering and belonging
Dominance analysis provides a method for comparing relative contributions of multiple predictors simultaneously, beyond what standard regression offers
Outcomes examined were depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors
Sample size was 383 BSMM adolescents aged 14–17 recruited from the Midwestern United States via online survey
What This Means
This research suggests that certain internal strengths and social resources — called developmental assets — play an important role in protecting the mental health of Black teenage boys who identify as gay, bisexual, or another sexual minority. The study surveyed 383 young people ages 14–17 in the Midwest and used a statistical method called dominance analysis to figure out which assets mattered most. Having a strong positive sense of identity was the single most important factor linked to lower rates of depression and suicidal behavior. Feeling like one belongs, having good social skills, and having family support also made meaningful differences, particularly for suicidal behavior.
The study also found that food insecurity — not having reliable access to food — was linked to higher levels of depressive symptoms, pointing to the role that basic material hardship plays alongside psychological factors. Together, these findings suggest that both who a young person feels they are (identity) and who supports them (family, peers, community) are closely tied to their mental well-being.
This research matters because Black sexual minority male youth face overlapping challenges related to both racism and anti-LGBTQ+ stigma, which can increase mental health risks. By identifying which specific strengths and supports are most protective, the findings provide guidance for designing programs and interventions that are culturally responsive and build on young people's existing strengths, rather than focusing only on deficits or risk factors.
Boyd D, Oh H, Patterson A, Weaver A, Durkee M, Quinn C. (2026). Developmental assets and mental health among black sexual minority male adolescents: A dominance analysis of depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors.. Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.70185