The Role of Resilience in Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health

Author(s):  
Dawn M. Szymanski ◽  
Kirsten A. Gonzalez

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons are able to persevere and flourish despite pervasive social stigma and minority stress based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. This chapter reviews the research on LGBTQ resilience that can occur at individual, interpersonal/family, community, and contextual/structural levels. The authors describe qualitative research that has examined pathways to resilience and positive LGBTQ identity. The authors also review quantitative research on LGBTQ resilience via mediator, moderator, and moderated mediation models. Variables are described that have been found to explain or buffer the links between external and internalized minority stressors and mental health outcomes. The authors review the small but growing body of research that has begun to examine the efficacy of therapeutic interventions aimed at promoting LGBTQ resilience. Limitations are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.

Author(s):  
Joanne DiPlacido ◽  
Carolyn R. Fallahi

Minority stress and stigma among LGBTQ individuals as a result of oppression from discrimination, heterosexism, and homonegativity has consistently led to poorer mental health outcomes. This chapter outlines the research linking minority stress and stigma to mental health. The authors review Hatzenbuehler’s mediational framework to understand the underlying mechanisms to explain why minority stress predicts psychiatric distress. The authors also discuss the role of intersectionality on mental health, recognizing that many LGBTQ individuals deal with multiple oppressions due to not only their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression but also race and ethnicity. This chapter covers minority stress and stigma among more vulnerable populations at higher risk of mental distress, such as transgender, older, and bisexual communities and those living in the Global South. The authors discuss how coping and social support can buffer the negative mental health effects of minority stress and stigma. Methodological issues and future directions are reviewed and suggestions for prevention and treatment interventions are offered.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Anthony Rodriguez-Seijas ◽  
Nicholas R Eaton ◽  
John E. Pachankis

Sexual and gender minority individuals experience minority stress, which is hypothesized to underlie the mental health disparities affecting these populations. Drawing on advances in mental disorder classification, we argue that transdiagnostic approaches hold great promise for understanding and reducing these disparities. In contrast to traditional diagnostic approaches, which have limited construct validity and produced a piecemeal literature, transdiagnostic approaches: (1) are evidence based, (2) account for diffuse patterns of disparities and comorbidity, (3) pinpoint psychological mechanisms linking minority stress to poor mental health, (4) reduce scientific stigma, and (5) serve as efficacious and efficient targets for transdiagnostic minority stress interventions.


Author(s):  
David M. Frost

This chapter is focused on the challenges that face researchers who are investigating the mental health of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. The chapter provides an overview of predominant frameworks and theories guiding research on the mental health of SGM individuals in order to highlight the methodological challenges that stem from these guiding frameworks and theories. Although there are challenges specific to certain subgroups within the broader SGM population, this chapter focuses on common challenges that are widely applicable within the field. The author concludes with suggestions for future research that aims to improve the field’s ability to understand and address mental health disparities continuing to face diverse SGM populations.


Author(s):  
Esther D. Rothblum

The Oxford Handbook of Sexual and Gender Minority Mental Health provides an overview of the current research on the mental health of sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. It is aimed at researchers conducting studies on the mental health of SGM populations, clinicians and researchers interested in psychiatric disorders that affect SGM populations, clinicians using evidence-based practice in the treatment of SGM patients/clients, students in mental health programs (clinical psychology, psychiatry, clinical social work, and psychiatric nursing), and policymakers. This chapter defines some terms and provides an overview of current and past SGM research methods.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari

Recent research has documented poor mental health among high socioeconomic status (SES) Blacks, particularly African American males. The literature has also shown a positive link between SES and perceived discrimination, suggesting that perceived discrimination may explain why high SES Black males report poor mental health. To better understand the role of contextual factors in explaining this pattern, we aimed to test whether school racial composition explains why high income Black youth perceive more discrimination. We explored these associations by ethnicity and gender. Using data from the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent supplement (NSAL-A), the current study included 810 African American and 360 Caribbean Black youth, with a mean age of 15. Ethnicity, age, gender, income-to-needs ratio (SES), skin color, school racial composition, and perceived (daily) discrimination were measured. Using Stata 15.0 (Stata Corp., College Station, TX, USA), we fitted seven structural equation models (SEMs) for data analysis in the pooled sample based on the intersection of ethnicity and gender. Considerable gender by ethnicity variations were found in the associations between SES, school racial composition, and perceived discrimination. For African American males but not African American females or Caribbean Black males or females, school racial composition fully mediated the effect of SES on perceived discrimination. The role of inter-racial contact as a mechanism for high discrimination and poor mental health of Black American adolescents may depend on their intersection of ethnicity and gender. School racial composition may be a mechanism for increased perceived discrimination among high SES African American males.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jennah Strathausen

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals face significant stigma and discrimination stemming from negative societal attitudes toward their experienced gender incongruence. Much of the LGBTQ literature on TGNC health disparities and gender minority stress focuses on the influence of overt acts of violence and oppression, often leaving more subtle and ubiquitous stressors, like invisibility, unexplored. In addition, there is a limited amount of literature on the experiences of transgender men, particularly those residing in the central U.S. Research suggests that the influence of positive role models can mitigate many of the stressors experienced by TGNC people. This study aimed to explore the influence of role models on trans men's identity development. Using Photovoice Methodology situated in Community-Based Participatory Research, this project collaboratively explored the needs, assets, and concerns of trans men living in Mid-Missouri. Twelve participants (MdnAge = 31.5 years-old) and the researchers separately grouped the participant-generated photographs and personal narratives into eight themes, including Authenticity, Acceptance, Inaccessibility, Isolation, and "Trans Enough?" Results supported the idea that access to positive role models serves as a protective factor for TGNC people. Results additionally highlight that trans men possess significant characteristics of resilience. Several implications for practice, public policy, and future research are provided.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-22
Author(s):  
Adewale A. Adekiya

AbstractThe high rate of job loss in most crude oil dependent countries, which may be attributed to the recent drop in the price of this commodity in international markets, has intensified the perception of threats associated with potential job loss among the employees who are still employed. Hence, perceived job insecurity, its associated outcome, coupled with how it can be mitigated has become a global phenomenon, which requires the attention of managers and practitioners alike. In this work, we built upon Hobfall’s conservation of resource theory (CRT) to present a research model that links employee’s self-efficacy and gender to the strength or weakness of the relationship between self-esteem and self-perceived job insecurity. Research data were collected from 153 randomly selected Nigerian Bank employees out of 217 drawn from a total population of 509. Based on the results from relevant statistical analysis, it is discovered that, while increase in self-esteem would lead to a significant decrease in job insecurity perception, such significant decrease is, however, not associated with self-efficacy and gender meaning that these variables are not moderators in the self-esteem/perceived job insecurity relationship. In line with these outcomes, we conclude by recommending that managers should focus on developing intervention strategies aimed at improving employee self-esteem with a view of reducing perceived job insecurity. In addition, important areas in need of future research were also identified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Ménard ◽  
Annie Foucreault ◽  
Hugues Leduc ◽  
Sophie Meunier ◽  
Sarah-Geneviève Trépanier

In April 2020, almost six out of 10 people around the world were in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Being locked down usually has a deleterious effect on the confined individual's mental health. In this exceptionally challenging context, finding ways to minimize negative mood about the pandemic is essential. Pandemic-related negative states (“negative mood”) and recovery experiences were investigated in a sample of 264 individuals who completed daily surveys four times per day over 7 consecutive days. MSEMs analyses revealed that negative mood persisted from moment-to-moment through the day, thus showing a response lag effect. Further analyses revealed that when someone experienced pandemic-related psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, control, pleasure, or relatedness at specific periods of the day, mood had improved at the next measured time period, suggesting a protective effect. However, the pattern displayed by singles with dependents suggests that some recovery experiences at specific periods during the day seem to have a backfiring effect and worsen subsequent mood. These findings bring new insight into the role of recovery experiences during lockdowns and suggest that many could benefit from such experiences throughout the day when self-isolating. However, for individuals with multiple risk factors such as being single with dependents, some recovery experiences, at specific periods during the day, might not bring the desired outcome and future research is needed to examine if guilt or domestic burden may explain this finding. Results contribute to our understanding of how to take care of one's mental health during the current pandemic, and concrete recommendations adapted to individual contexts are provided.


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