Subjective well-being, self-esteem, and attitude towards imagined couples of yaoi fangirls in Thailand

Abstract

Background: A number of studies on yaoi fangirls, who are interested in homoromantic/ homoerotic relationship
between men, is increasing all over the world, but there are only few studies of mental health on yaoi fangirls in
Thailand.
Objectives: To study subjective well-being, self-esteem, and attitude towards imagined couples of yaoi fangirls,
and to determine factors associated with subjective well-being of yaoi fangirls in Thailand.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among literate Thai yaoi fangirls, aged from 18-yearold in August 2018. The instruments were online questionnaires, consisting of general information, Imagined
Couple Attitude Scale, Self-esteem Inventory, and Thai Happiness Indicator (THI-15). Statistics used to analyze
data were descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation, One-way ANOVA, logistic regression, and
multiple linear regression.
Results: Of the total 1,745 participants, 70.5% had their attitude towards imagined couples categorized as moderate level of imagined couple worship, 46.6% had moderate self-esteem, and 38.8% were as happy as general Thai population. There was a strong positive correlation between self-esteem and subjective well-being (r = 0.745,
P < 0.001), while low negative correlations were found between attitude towards imagined couples and self-esteem
and subjective well-being. Of all other factors, self-esteem seemed to be the major one that can explain the 55.5%
of the variance in subjective well-being.
Conclusion: Most of yaoi fangirls in Thailand were found to have normal level of imagined couple worship, selfesteem, and subjective well-being. Self-esteem was a factor that could predict subjective well-being and attitude towards imagined couples. The results of this study would be beneficial for understanding yaoi fangirls in Thailand, and providing the appropriate care.