Minority Stress as a Multidimensional Predictor of LGB+ Adolescents’ Mental Health Outcomes

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Sean N. Weeks ◽  
Tyler L. Renshaw ◽  
Stephanie A. Vinal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes

scholarly journals An empirical examination and extension of the psychological mediation framework among gay and bisexual men: a mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle R. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Gay And Bisexual Men ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
The Relationship

Compared to heterosexual men, gay and bisexual men (GBM) are at an increased risk of adverse mental and sexual health outcomes. Minority Stress Theory (MST) proposes that GBM experience an increased prevalence of poor mental health outcomes as a result of minority stress. Building upon MST, the Psychological Mediation Framework (PMF) posits that minority stress leads to changes in general cognitive, affective, and social psychological processes, thereby leading to negative mental health outcomes. The present mixed methods study focused on three primary objectives in a sample of 261 GBM: (a) testing the indirect effects of general psychological processes in the relationship between minority stress and poor mental health outcomes; (b) evaluating whether these processes also account for the relationship between minority stress and poor sexual health outcomes; and (c) qualitatively exploring and further clarifying the PMF. Quantitative results provided support for the PMF by demonstrating that experiences of objective stigma were associated with elevations in psychological risk factors, which were in turn associated with adverse mental health outcomes. When each mediator was examined separately, affective processes had a significant effect on mental health outcomes whereas cognitive and social processes were non-significant. For sexual health, the total indirect effect of general psychological mediators in the relationship between stigma and sexual health outcomes was non-significant. However, when mediators were examined separately, cognitive processes did appear to have a significant indirect effect in this relationship, whereas affective and social processes were non-significant. Qualitative results provided partial support for the PMF; many, but not all, of the key components of the model were discussed by participants, and a number of novel themes emerged that expand beyond variables described in the PMF. These findings have important theoretical implications by helping to refine the PMF and future studies of minority stress. Further, by offering a better understanding of the mechanisms linking minority stress and poor health outcomes, this study may help guide future psychological interventions aimed at improving the health of GBM.

scholarly journals Differences in Rape Acknowledgement and Mental Health Outcomes across Transgender, Non-binary, and Cisgender Bisexual Youth

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
RaeAnn Anderson ◽  
Lesley A. Tarasoff ◽  
Nicole VanKim ◽  
Corey Flanders
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Stress Theory ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minority ◽  
Rape Acknowledgment ◽  
And Gender

Objective: The purpose of this study was to document the rates of rape acknowledgment (labeling rape as rape rather than using a minimizing label), and the corresponding mental health correlates using the minority stress framework in a unique and vulnerable sample: racially diverse sexual and gender minority young adults.Method: Participants were 245 young adults who identified their sexual orientation as under the bisexual umbrella. A total of 159 of these participants (65.2%) identified their gender identity as non-binary. All participants completed a series of online questionnaires regarding their sexual victimization history, mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder: PTSD), and constructs relevant to minority stress theory (level of outness, internalized bisexual negativity, connection to LGBTQ community).Results: Rape acknowledgment was significantly greater among gender non-binary participants (79.9%) than among trans and cisgender male participants (17.9%). Lack of rape acknowledgment was associated with increased anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Outness was significantly associated with greater rape acknowledgment. Conclusions: In spite of the highly increased vulnerability for sexual violence among sexual and gender minorities, very little is understood about the mechanisms of this increased vulnerability nor their unique needs for recovery. The results of this study strongly suggest the importance of a minority stress framework for understanding this increased vulnerability and for designing sexual violence prevention and recovery interventions for sexual and gender minority populations.

scholarly journals Impact of Status-Based Rejection Sensitivity on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Gay Men

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1546
Author(s):  
Joseph Slimowicz ◽  
Jedidiah Siev ◽  
Paula M. Brochu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Rejection Sensitivity ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety

Status-based rejection sensitivity refers to the anxious expectation and tendency to perceive rejection in ambiguous social scenarios based on one’s minority identification. This study evaluates the implications of sensitivity to rejection based on sexual orientation identity on negative mental health outcomes. Current minority stress models include rejection sensitivity as a factor that may contribute to adverse negative psychosocial outcomes in LGBT persons. This study evaluates the role of rejection sensitivity alongside demographically relevant predictors such as age, race, education, and level of sexuality disclosure in predicting the presence of significant depression and anxiety scores among a sample of gay men. Results indicate that rejection sensitivity, sexuality openness, and anxiety were significant predictors of depression symptoms, whereas age and depression were significant predictors of anxiety symptoms. This study supports the role of rejection sensitivity as a contributor to negative mental health outcomes among gay men, particularly as it pertains to internalizing mental health disorders.

scholarly journals Depressive Symptoms Among Older, Sexual Minority Adults and the Influence of Marital Status

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 166-167
Author(s):  
Briana Mezuk ◽  
Rachel Bergmans ◽  
Victoria Schoebel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract Adverse health outcomes, including poor mental health and depression, tend to be more common among those who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). Minority stress theory posits that chronic minoritization contributes to disparities in depression. Factors like social support and income can improve mental health outcomes, and these resilience-promoting factors can be gained through marriage. However, whether marriage improves mental health outcomes in old age regardless of sexual orientation is not well established. This study aims to determine if depressive symptoms differ by sexual orientation in old age, and to test whether the association between depression and sexual orientation was moderated by marital status. The 2016 Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults older than 50 years (n=4,253), was the first wave to include respondent sexual orientation. Depressive symptoms were measured on the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Those with a score greater than or equal to 3 were considered to have elevated depressive symptoms. When testing main effects in the adjusted model, depression was not more common among LGB persons than heterosexual persons (OR=0.95; 95% CI=0.46-2.00). Yet, marital status significantly moderated the relationship between sexual orientation and depression (p=0.034). Among heterosexual adults, being married was protective against depression (OR=0.48; 95% CI=0.32-0.71) when compared to being never married, whereas marriage was not protective among LGB adults (OR=0.95; 95% CI=0.26-3.45). Findings indicate that LGB adults do not experience the same mental health benefits of marriage as heterosexual individuals.

Minority Stress as a Multidimensional Predictor of LGB+ Adolescents’ Mental Health Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean N Weeks ◽  
Tyler L Renshaw ◽  
Stephanie A. Vinal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Substance Misuse ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Psychological Inflexibility ◽  
Daily Stressors ◽  
Minority Stress Model ◽  
Domain Level

The minority stress model has been used to explain added daily stressors that non-heterosexual (LGB+) individuals experience. While the emphasis of minority stress research is frequently broad (global minority stress) or narrow (specific stressors) in focus, the literature often refers to specific stressors at the domain level as either distal (external) or proximal (internal). This study found that, compared with broad and narrow levels, a domain level approach may be best for understanding the predictive value of minority stress. Multiple regression analyses with a sample of 152 LGB+ adolescents found that distal stress predicted substance misuse (p < .001) and suicidality (p = .002) and was a stronger predicter than proximal stress for psychological inflexibility. This study might contribute to an evidence base that could guide measurement approaches for assessing minority stress and using related results to inform the prediction of—and, ultimately, intervention with—LGB+ adolescents’ mental health outcomes.

scholarly journals An empirical examination and extension of the psychological mediation framework among gay and bisexual men: a mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle R. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Gay And Bisexual Men ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
The Relationship

Compared to heterosexual men, gay and bisexual men (GBM) are at an increased risk of adverse mental and sexual health outcomes. Minority Stress Theory (MST) proposes that GBM experience an increased prevalence of poor mental health outcomes as a result of minority stress. Building upon MST, the Psychological Mediation Framework (PMF) posits that minority stress leads to changes in general cognitive, affective, and social psychological processes, thereby leading to negative mental health outcomes. The present mixed methods study focused on three primary objectives in a sample of 261 GBM: (a) testing the indirect effects of general psychological processes in the relationship between minority stress and poor mental health outcomes; (b) evaluating whether these processes also account for the relationship between minority stress and poor sexual health outcomes; and (c) qualitatively exploring and further clarifying the PMF. Quantitative results provided support for the PMF by demonstrating that experiences of objective stigma were associated with elevations in psychological risk factors, which were in turn associated with adverse mental health outcomes. When each mediator was examined separately, affective processes had a significant effect on mental health outcomes whereas cognitive and social processes were non-significant. For sexual health, the total indirect effect of general psychological mediators in the relationship between stigma and sexual health outcomes was non-significant. However, when mediators were examined separately, cognitive processes did appear to have a significant indirect effect in this relationship, whereas affective and social processes were non-significant. Qualitative results provided partial support for the PMF; many, but not all, of the key components of the model were discussed by participants, and a number of novel themes emerged that expand beyond variables described in the PMF. These findings have important theoretical implications by helping to refine the PMF and future studies of minority stress. Further, by offering a better understanding of the mechanisms linking minority stress and poor health outcomes, this study may help guide future psychological interventions aimed at improving the health of GBM.

Mental Health Among Adolescents from Returned Portuguese Immigrant Families

2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félix Neto
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Older Adolescents ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Portuguese Adolescents

This study investigated mental health problems and their predictors among adolescents from returned immigrant families. The sample consisted of 360 returned adolescents (mean age = 16.8 years; SD = 1.9). The mean duration of a sojourn in Portugal for the sample was 8.2 years (SD = 4.5). A control group of 217 Portuguese youths were also included in the study. Adolescents from immigrant families reported mental health levels similar to those of Portuguese adolescents who have never migrated. Girls showed more mental health problems than boys. Younger adolescents showed fewer mental health problems than older adolescents. Adaptation variables contributed to mental health outcomes even after acculturation variables were accounted for. Implications of the study for counselors are discussed.

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