Drawing textual survey data from 398 LGBTQ+ people in Malaysia, our social determinants of mental health (SDMH)-centered analysis identified two overarching themes: (1) "I don't belong here nor within myself, " reflecting systemic erasure, identity suppression, and relational alienation; and (2) "They hold space for me to be myself, " highlighting interpersonal affirmation , emotional safety, and indirect forms of recognition-supported healing. The themes illustrate how relational dynamics shape experiences of identity affirmation, intracommunity exclusion, emotion suppression, and indirect forms of affirmation as subtle but crucial mental health resources. Our findings call for culturally attuned, relationship-centered counseling practices for LGBTQ+ individuals in Malaysia.
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Liow et al. (2026) studied this question.
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