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John E Pachankis - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Minority Stress social integration and the mental health needs of lgbtq asylum seekers in north america
Social Science & Medicine, 2020Co-Authors: Randi H Griffin, John E PachankisAbstract:Abstract Objective Drawing on theoretical accounts of LGBTQ Minority Stress and models of social integration and immigrant health, the present study examines sexual and gender Minority status - heretofore overlooked in crossnational frameworks of immigrant health - as an important determinant of asylum seeker mental health. With the goal of spurring intervention development among this population, this study also aims to characterize LGBTQ asylum seekers' interest in interventions aimed at alleviating Minority Stress, barriers to social integration, and associated mental diStress. Method Respondents (n = 308) completed an online survey which included the Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15), and a battery of measures of Minority Stressors and barriers to social integration. Results Most respondents (80.20%) screened positive for mental diStress. Consistent with Minority Stress theory, loneliness (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.11, 1.16) and LGBTQ identity disclosure (OR = 3.46, 95% CI = 1.85, 6.50) were strongly associated with screening positive for mental diStress. Consistent with theories of immigrant social integration, those who had been granted asylum (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.25, 0.53) or had higher English language proficiency (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.60) were less likely to screen positive. In an exploratory analysis, the association between transgender identity and mental diStress approached significance (OR = 3.60, 95% CI = 1.00, 7.2). As preliminary justification for applying these findings to practice, most of those who screened positive for diStress were interested in receiving mental health counseling (70.45%). Most participants wanted more LGBTQ friends (83.1%), wanted to mentor an LGBTQ newcomer (83.8%), and were interested in joining an LGBTQ community center (68.2%). Conclusion This study demonstrates that LGBTQ asylum seekers are highly likely to experience mental diStress that is influenced by unique social factors, including barriers to social integration, and are motivated to participate in interventions aimed at addressing their mental health needs.
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addressing Minority Stress and mental health among men who have sex with men msm in china
Current Hiv\ aids Reports, 2020Co-Authors: John E Pachankis, Xiaoming Li, Don OperarioAbstract:PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Men who have sex with men (MSM) in China experience elevated risks of mental health issues in comparison to the general population in China, which contribute to vulnerability to HIV/STI risks and can comprise the effectiveness of HIV prevention efforts. A conceptual framework for understanding this mental health disparity is Minority Stress theory, which posits that experiences of external prejudice events (i.e., distal Stressors) and internal Stress processes such as internalized homophobia and concealment (i.e., proximal Stressors) contribute to sexual minorities' elevated risk of psychological diStress. To deepen the understanding of mental health among Chinese MSM and explore the potential utility of Minority Stress theory in this population, this paper synthesizes research evidence regarding prevalent mental health issues as well as how Minority Stress may be linked to psychological health in Chinese MSM. RECENT FINDINGS: Results indicate that Chinese MSM experience a high prevalence of several mental health issues including depression, anxiety, suicidal behaviors, and alcohol dependence. This review further reveals Minority Stress to be an important determinant of psychological diStress among Chinese MSM, though evidence is mixed regarding the relationship between proximal Minority Stress and psychological health. Nonetheless, there is a lack of mental health services and interventions focusing on MSM in China. Culturally relevant, competent, and LGBT-affirmative mental health interventions are needed for Chinese MSM. To guide future intervention research, we provide considerations for reducing Minority Stress and promoting psychological health among Chinese MSM.
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“It truly does get better:” Young sexual Minority men’s resilient responses to sexual Minority Stress
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 2020Co-Authors: Audrey Harkness, Brooke G. Rogers, Christopher Albright, Noelle A. Mendez, Steven A. Safren, John E PachankisAbstract:Due to Minority Stress, sexual Minority men experience mental health disparities. Sexual Minority men who engaged in cognitive-behavioral therapy to address the Minority Stress underlying their dis...
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it truly does get better young sexual Minority men s resilient responses to sexual Minority Stress
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 2020Co-Authors: Audrey Harkness, Brooke G. Rogers, Christopher Albright, Noelle A. Mendez, Steven A. Safren, John E PachankisAbstract:Due to Minority Stress, sexual Minority men experience mental health disparities. Sexual Minority men who engaged in cognitive-behavioral therapy to address the Minority Stress underlying their dis...
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what reduces sexual Minority Stress a review of the intervention toolkit
Journal of Social Issues, 2017Co-Authors: Stephenie R Chaudoir, Katie Wang, John E PachankisAbstract:Sexual orientation health disparities are rooted in sexual minorities’ exposure to Stress and challenges to effective coping. This article reviews the “toolkit” of psychosocial interventions available to reduce sexual Minority Stress effects. A systematic search uncovered 44 interventions that both seek to reduce sexual Minority Stress at its source in unjust and discriminatory social structures as well as bolster sexual minorities’ stigma-coping abilities. These interventions were implemented in a variety of contexts (e.g., education, health care delivery) and utilized heterogeneous modalities to create change (e.g., policy implementation, role-playing activities). They were designed to affect change across structural, interpersonal, and individual levels. The interventions reviewed here, while in early stages of efficacy testing, possess potential for meeting the needs and resources of mental and medical health care providers, policy makers, and other stakeholders who aim to lessen the burden of sexual Minority Stress and the health disparities it generates.
David M. Frost - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Minority Stress, Campaign Messages and Political Participation during the Australian Marriage Plebiscite
Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastian E. Bartos, Daniel W. Noon, David M. FrostAbstract:Background The health and wellbeing of sexual minorities is adversely impacted by a set of factors collectively known as Minority Stress. Recently, negative campaigns preceding gay-rights referenda have put further pressure on sexual minorities. However, active participation in political campaigns is expected to foster wellbeing. This study explores the mechanisms through which political campaigns affect psychological diStress in sexual minorities. Method We conducted a survey with 318 Australian sexual Minority individuals during the campaign for the same-sex marriage postal vote in 2017. Results As expected, exposure to negative campaign messages was associated with psychological diStress. This association persisted controlling for the effects of everyday Stress. The effect of exposure to negative campaign messages was no longer significant when controlling for Minority Stressors like internalized homophobia, expectations of rejection, and everyday discrimination. Political participation was also associated with psychological diStress. Post hoc analyses supported a model whereby Minority Stressors mediated the associations of campaign messages and political participation with diStress. Conclusion Minority Stress provides a flexible theoretical framework that can incorporate novel challenges to the wellbeing of sexual minorities. Policy Implication As public votes on the rights of sexual minorities become more common, it is important to develop models that can inform policy in protecting such minorities.
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Minority Stress, Campaign Messages and Political Participation during the Australian Marriage Plebiscite
Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastian E. Bartos, Daniel W. Noon, David M. FrostAbstract:Background: The health and wellbeing of sexual minorities is adversely impacted by a set of factors collectively known as Minority Stress. Recently, negative campaigns preceding gay-rights referenda have put further pressure on sexual minorities. However, active participation in political campaigns is expected to foster wellbeing. This study explores the mechanisms through which political campaigns affect negative emotions in sexual minorities. Method: We conducted a survey with 318 Australian sexual Minority individuals during the campaign for the same-sex marriage postal vote in 2017. Results: As expected, exposure to negative campaign messages was associated with emotional diStress. This association persisted controlling for the effects everyday Stress. The effect of exposure to negative campaign messages was no longer significant when controlling for Minority Stressors like internalized homophobia, expectations of rejection, and everyday discrimination. Political participation was also associated with emotional diStress. Post hoc analyses supported a model whereby Minority Stressors mediated the associations of campaign messages and political participation with diStress. Conclusion: As public votes on the rights of sexual minorities become more common, it is important to develop models that can inform policy in protecting such minorities. Minority Stress provides a flexible theoretical framework that can incorporate these new challenges.
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Measuring a New Stress Domain: Validation of the Couple-Level Minority Stress Scale
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2020Co-Authors: Torsten B. Neilands, David M. Frost, Allen J. Leblanc, Kayla Bowen, Patrick S. Sullivan, Colleen C. Hoff, Jason ChangAbstract:Existing social Stress frameworks largely conceive of Stress as emanating from individual experience. Recent theory and research concerning Minority Stress have focused on same-sex couples’ experiences of both eventful and chronic Stressors associated with being in a stigmatized relationship, including having ongoing or episodic fears of discrimination, and experiencing actual acts of discrimination. Such couple-level Minority Stressors represent a novel domain of social Stress affecting Minority populations that is only beginning to become a focus in empirical investigations testing Minority Stress theory. This article presents the results of psychometric analyses of dyadic data from 106 same-sex couples from across the U.S., introducing the Couple-Level Minority Stress (CLMS) scale featuring eight new couple-level Minority Stress factors: (1) Couple-Level Stigma; (2) Couple-Level Discrimination; (3) Seeking Safety as a Couple; (4) Perceived Unequal Relationship Recognition; (5) Couple-Level Visibility; (6) Managing Stereotypes about Same-Sex Couples; (7) Lack of Integration with Families of Origin; and (8) Lack of Social Support for Couples. The CLMS demonstrated a clear factor structure with satisfactory model-data fit and subscale reliabilities. The CLMS also exhibited validity as a correlate of one indicator of relationship quality (relationship satisfaction) and three indicators of mental health (nonspecific psychological diStress, depressive symptomatology, and problematic drinking) when controlling for individual-level Minority Stressors and has great potential to extend and enrich Minority Stress research, particularly studies that deepen understandings of longstanding health inequities based on sexual orientation.
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Understanding how emerging same-sex couples make meaning of Minority Stress: A narrative approach.
Journal of Family Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Sarah-jane F. Stewart, David M. Frost, Allen J. LeblancAbstract:: Minority Stress-in the form of experiences of prejudice and discrimination-can have negative consequences on individuals in same-sex relationships. However, little is known about the ways in which members of same-sex couples make meaning of Minority Stress, especially in the context of newly formed relationships that may be most vulnerable to Minority Stressors. The present study draws upon emerging understandings of couple-level Minority Stress to investigate the ways in which newly formed same-sex couples make meaning of their Minority Stress experiences jointly as a couple. A narrative analysis was conducted using data from dyadic interviews with 40 same-sex couples who had been together for at least 6 months but less than 3 years. Analyses highlighted six distinct narrative strategies used by couples when making-meaning of their Minority Stress experiences: "Minority Stress made couples stronger," "Minority Stress contaminates positive experiences," "Minority Stress is not a big deal," "couples resign in the face of Minority Stress," "Minority Stress is worse than expected," and "couples hope Minority Stress experiences will get better." These findings not only provide valuable evidence for couple-level Minority Stress constructs, but crucially give a nuanced insight into how same-sex couples that are in the early stages of relationship development, make meaning of their Minority Stress experiences. Findings have important implications for the design and implementation of effective clinical and counseling interventions aimed at reducing negative outcomes among individuals in same-sex relationships, and the potential for relationship dissolution resulting from Minority Stress experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Extending the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health Problems Experienced by the Autistic Population
Society and mental health, 2018Co-Authors: Monique Botha, David M. FrostAbstract:Research into autism and mental health has traditionally associated poor mental health and autism as inevitably linked. Other possible explanations for mental health problems among autistic populations have received little attention. As evidenced by the Minority disability movement, autism is increasingly being considered part of the identities of autistic people. Autistic individuals thus constitute an identity-based Minority and may be exposed to excess social Stress as a result of disadvantaged and stigmatized social status. The authors test the utility of the Minority Stress model as an explanation for the experience of mental health problems within a sample of high-functioning autistic individuals (n = 111). Minority Stressors including everyday discrimination, internalized stigma, and concealment significantly predicted poorer mental health, despite controlling for general Stress exposure. These results indicate the potential utility of Minority Stress in explaining increased mental health problems ...
Jeffrey T Parsons - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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daily Minority Stress and affect among gay and bisexual men a 30 day diary study
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2016Co-Authors: Adam I Eldahan, John E Pachankis, Jonathon H Rendina, Ana Ventuneac, Christian Grov, Jeffrey T ParsonsAbstract:Abstract Background This study examined the time-variant association between daily Minority Stress and daily affect among gay and bisexual men. Tests of time-lagged associations allow for a stronger causal examination of Minority Stress-affect associations compared with static assessments. Multilevel modeling allows for comparison of associations between Minority Stress and daily affect when Minority Stress is modeled as a between-person factor and a within-person time-fluctuating state. Methods 371 gay and bisexual men in New York City completed a 30-day daily diary, recording daily experiences of Minority Stress and positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and anxious affect (AA). Multilevel analyses examined associations between Minority Stress and affect in both same-day and time-lagged analyses, with Minority Stress assessed as both a between-person factor and a within-person state. Results Daily Minority Stress, modeled as both a between-person and within-person construct, significantly predicted lower PA and higher NA and AA. Daily Minority Stress also predicted lower subsequent-day PA and higher subsequent-day NA and AA. Limitations Self-report assessments and the unique sample may limit generalizability of this study. Conclusions The time-variant association between sexual Minority Stress and affect found here substantiates the basic tenet of Minority Stress theory with a fine-grained analysis of gay and bisexual men's daily experience. Time-lagged effects suggest a potentially causal pathway between Minority Stress as a social determinant of mood and anxiety disorder symptoms among gay and bisexual men. When modeled as both a between-person factor and within-person state, Minority Stress demonstrated expected patterns with affect.
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a Minority Stress emotion regulation model of sexual compulsivity among highly sexually active gay and bisexual men
Health Psychology, 2015Co-Authors: John E Pachankis, Jonathon H Rendina, Ana Ventuneac, Christian Grov, Arjee Restar, Jeffrey T ParsonsAbstract:OBJECTIVE: Sexual compulsivity represents a significant public health concern among gay and bisexual men, given its co-occurrence with other mental health problems and HIV infection. The purpose of this study was to examine a model of sexual compulsivity based on Minority Stress theory and emotion regulation models of mental health among gay and bisexual men. METHOD: Gay and bisexual men in New York City reporting at least nine past-90-day sexual partners (n = 374) completed measures of distal Minority Stressors (i.e., boyhood gender nonconformity and peer rejection, adulthood perceived discrimination), hypothesized proximal Minority Stress mediators (i.e., rejection sensitivity, internalized homonegativity), hypothesized universal mediators (i.e., emotion dysregulation, depression, and anxiety), and sexual compulsivity. RESULTS: The hypothesized model fit the data well (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.95, SRMR = 0.03). Distal Minority Stress processes (e.g., adulthood discrimination) were generally found to confer risk for both proximal Minority Stressors (e.g., internalized homonegativity) and emotion dysregulation. Proximal Minority Stressors and emotion dysregulation, in turn, generally predicted sexual compulsivity both directly and indirectly through anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The final model suggests that gay-specific (e.g., internalized homonegativity) and universal (e.g., emotion dysregulation) processes represent potential treatment targets to attenuate the impact of Minority Stress on gay and bisexual men's sexual health. Tests of interventions that address these targets to treat sexual compulsivity among gay and bisexual men represent a promising future research endeavor.
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lgb affirmative cognitive behavioral therapy for young adult gay and bisexual men a randomized controlled trial of a transdiagnostic Minority Stress approach
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2015Co-Authors: John E Pachankis, Jonathon H Rendina, Steven A. Safren, Mark L Hatzenbuehler, Jeffrey T ParsonsAbstract:OBJECTIVES: We tested the preliminary efficacy of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatment adapted to improve depression, anxiety, and co-occurring health risks (i.e., alcohol use, sexual compulsivity, condomless sex) among young adult gay and bisexual men. Treatment adaptations focused on reducing Minority Stress processes that underlie sexual orientation-related mental health disparities. METHOD: Young gay and bisexual men (n = 63; M age = 25.94) were randomized to immediate treatment or a 3-month waitlist. At baseline, 3-month, and 6-month assessments, participants completed self-reports of mental health and Minority Stress and an interview of past-90-day risk behavior. RESULTS: Compared to waitlist, treatment significantly reduced depressive symptoms (b = -2.43, 95% CI: -4.90, 0.35, p CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated preliminary support for the first intervention adapted to address gay and bisexual men's co-occurring health problems at their source in Minority Stress. If found to be efficacious compared to standard evidence-based treatments, the treatment will possess substantial potential for helping clinicians translate LGB-affirmative treatment guidelines into evidence-based practice. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
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A Minority Stress – Emotion Regulation Model of Sexual Compulsivity among Highly Sexually Active Gay and Bisexual Men
Health Psychology, 2014Co-Authors: John E Pachankis, Ana Ventuneac, Christian Grov, Arjee Restar, H. Jonathon Rendina, Jeffrey T ParsonsAbstract:OBJECTIVE: Sexual compulsivity represents a significant public health concern among gay and bisexual men, given its co-occurrence with other mental health problems and HIV infection. The purpose of this study was to examine a model of sexual compulsivity based on Minority Stress theory and emotion regulation models of mental health among gay and bisexual men. METHOD: Gay and bisexual men in New York City reporting at least nine past-90-day sexual partners (n = 374) completed measures of distal Minority Stressors (i.e., boyhood gender nonconformity and peer rejection, adulthood perceived discrimination), hypothesized proximal Minority Stress mediators (i.e., rejection sensitivity, internalized homonegativity), hypothesized universal mediators (i.e., emotion dysregulation, depression, and anxiety), and sexual compulsivity. RESULTS: The hypothesized model fit the data well (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.95, SRMR = 0.03). Distal Minority Stress processes (e.g., adulthood discrimination) were generally found to confer risk for both proximal Minority Stressors (e.g., internalized homonegativity) and emotion dysregulation. Proximal Minority Stressors and emotion dysregulation, in turn, generally predicted sexual compulsivity both directly and indirectly through anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The final model suggests that gay-specific (e.g., internalized homonegativity) and universal (e.g., emotion dysregulation) processes represent potential treatment targets to attenuate the impact of Minority Stress on gay and bisexual men's sexual health. Tests of interventions that address these targets to treat sexual compulsivity among gay and bisexual men represent a promising future research endeavor.
Allen J. Leblanc - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Measuring a New Stress Domain: Validation of the Couple-Level Minority Stress Scale
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2020Co-Authors: Torsten B. Neilands, David M. Frost, Allen J. Leblanc, Kayla Bowen, Patrick S. Sullivan, Colleen C. Hoff, Jason ChangAbstract:Existing social Stress frameworks largely conceive of Stress as emanating from individual experience. Recent theory and research concerning Minority Stress have focused on same-sex couples’ experiences of both eventful and chronic Stressors associated with being in a stigmatized relationship, including having ongoing or episodic fears of discrimination, and experiencing actual acts of discrimination. Such couple-level Minority Stressors represent a novel domain of social Stress affecting Minority populations that is only beginning to become a focus in empirical investigations testing Minority Stress theory. This article presents the results of psychometric analyses of dyadic data from 106 same-sex couples from across the U.S., introducing the Couple-Level Minority Stress (CLMS) scale featuring eight new couple-level Minority Stress factors: (1) Couple-Level Stigma; (2) Couple-Level Discrimination; (3) Seeking Safety as a Couple; (4) Perceived Unequal Relationship Recognition; (5) Couple-Level Visibility; (6) Managing Stereotypes about Same-Sex Couples; (7) Lack of Integration with Families of Origin; and (8) Lack of Social Support for Couples. The CLMS demonstrated a clear factor structure with satisfactory model-data fit and subscale reliabilities. The CLMS also exhibited validity as a correlate of one indicator of relationship quality (relationship satisfaction) and three indicators of mental health (nonspecific psychological diStress, depressive symptomatology, and problematic drinking) when controlling for individual-level Minority Stressors and has great potential to extend and enrich Minority Stress research, particularly studies that deepen understandings of longstanding health inequities based on sexual orientation.
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Understanding how emerging same-sex couples make meaning of Minority Stress: A narrative approach.
Journal of Family Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Sarah-jane F. Stewart, David M. Frost, Allen J. LeblancAbstract:: Minority Stress-in the form of experiences of prejudice and discrimination-can have negative consequences on individuals in same-sex relationships. However, little is known about the ways in which members of same-sex couples make meaning of Minority Stress, especially in the context of newly formed relationships that may be most vulnerable to Minority Stressors. The present study draws upon emerging understandings of couple-level Minority Stress to investigate the ways in which newly formed same-sex couples make meaning of their Minority Stress experiences jointly as a couple. A narrative analysis was conducted using data from dyadic interviews with 40 same-sex couples who had been together for at least 6 months but less than 3 years. Analyses highlighted six distinct narrative strategies used by couples when making-meaning of their Minority Stress experiences: "Minority Stress made couples stronger," "Minority Stress contaminates positive experiences," "Minority Stress is not a big deal," "couples resign in the face of Minority Stress," "Minority Stress is worse than expected," and "couples hope Minority Stress experiences will get better." These findings not only provide valuable evidence for couple-level Minority Stress constructs, but crucially give a nuanced insight into how same-sex couples that are in the early stages of relationship development, make meaning of their Minority Stress experiences. Findings have important implications for the design and implementation of effective clinical and counseling interventions aimed at reducing negative outcomes among individuals in same-sex relationships, and the potential for relationship dissolution resulting from Minority Stress experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Masculinity and Minority Stress among Men in Same-sex Relationships:
Society and mental health, 2018Co-Authors: Alexander Lu, Allen J. Leblanc, David M. FrostAbstract:Although previous research has examined associations among masculinity, sexual orientation, Minority Stress, and mental health, these studies focused exclusively on individuals as units of analysis...
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couple level Minority Stress an examination of same sex couples unique experiences
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 2017Co-Authors: David M. Frost, Allen J. Leblanc, Rob Stephenson, Brian De Vries, Eli Alstonstepnitz, Cory WoodyattAbstract:Social Stress resulting from stigma, prejudice, and discrimination—“Minority Stress”—negatively impacts sexual Minority individuals’ health and relational well-being. The present study examined how being in a same-sex couple can result in exposure to unique Minority Stressors not accounted for at the individual level. Relationship timeline interviews were conducted with 120 same-sex couples equally distributed across two study sites (Atlanta and San Francisco), gender (male and female), and relationship duration (at least six months but less than three years, at least three years but less than seven years, and seven or more years). Directed content analyses identified 17 unique couple-level Minority Stressors experienced within nine distinct social contexts. Analyses also revealed experiences of dyadic Minority Stress processes (Stress discrepancies and Stress contagion). These findings can be useful in future efforts to better understand and address the cumulative impact of Minority Stress on relational well-being and individual health.
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Minority Stress and Stress proliferation among same sex and other marginalized couples
Journal of Marriage and Family, 2015Co-Authors: Allen J. Leblanc, David M. Frost, Richard G WightAbstract:Drawing from 2 largely isolated approaches to the study of social Stress—Stress prolifera-tion and Minority Stress—the authors theorize about Stress and mental health among same-sex couples. With this integrated Stress framework, they hypothesized that couple-level Minority Stressors may be experienced by individual partners and jointly by couples as a result of the stigmatized status of their same-sex relationship—a novel concept. They also consider dyadic Minority Stress processes, which result from the relational experience of individual-level Minority Stressors between partners. Because this framework includes Stressors emanating from both status-based (e.g., sexual Minority) and role-based (e.g., partner) Stress domains, it facilitates the study of Stress proliferation linking Minority Stress (e.g., discrimination), more commonly expe-rienced relational Stress (e.g., conflict), and mental health. This framework can be applied to the study of Stress and health among other marginalized couples, such as interracial/ ethnic, interfaith, and age-discrepant couples.
Robin J Lewis - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Sexual Minority Stress and Social Support Explain the Association between Sexual Identity with Physical and Mental Health Problems among Young Lesbian and Bisexual Women
Sex Roles, 2020Co-Authors: Sarah J. Ehlke, Charlotte A. Dawson, Kristin E Heron, Abby L Braitman, Robin J LewisAbstract:Bisexual women report more physical and psychological health problems than lesbian women do, which may be attributed to greater sexual Minority Stress and less social support. However, many studies combine lesbian and bisexual women into a single group. The current study examined if sexual Minority Stress and social support mediated the association between women’s sexual identity (lesbian or bisexual) and health-related outcomes. A total of 650 U.S. young adult lesbian ( n = 227) and bisexual ( n = 423) women completed an online survey about sexual Minority Stress, social support, and physical and mental health problems. Bisexual women reported more physical and mental health problems. A sequential mediation model showed that bisexual women reported greater sexual Minority Stress than lesbian women, which in turn was associated with less social support, which was associated with more physical and mental health problems. Greater sexual Minority Stress and lower social support may help explain why bisexual women report more health-related problems than lesbian women. The results of the present study support the importance of examining risk and protective factors for health problems separately for lesbian and bisexual women. Health-related intervention programs that target sexual Minority women may need to be tailored differently for lesbian and bisexual women.
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Minority Stress substance use and intimate partner violence among sexual Minority women
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2012Co-Authors: Robin J Lewis, Robert J Milletich, Michelle L Kelley, Alex WoodyAbstract:Abstract Compared to the research literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) in heterosexual relationships, our understanding of IPV among sexual Minority women (SMW) lags far behind. This paper reviews the literature regarding the prevalence of IPV among SMW and discusses disparities between SMW and heterosexual women. Methodological issues in this area are also discussed. Moreover, we review associations among substance use, sexual Minority Stress, and IPV in this population. Finally, potential protective factors, such as social and community support, identity, mastery, and coping, are examined. As researchers and clinicians work to improve the health of SMW it is important to consider the associations among relationship violence, substance use, and Minority Stress. Moreover, it is essential to understand what factors may promote adjustment among SMW.
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Still Stressful after all these years: a review of lesbians' and bisexual women's Minority Stress.
Journal of Lesbian Studies, 2012Co-Authors: Robin J Lewis, Tatyana Kholodkov, Valerian J. DerlegaAbstract:This article reviews the conceptualization of, and empirical literature on, lesbians’ and bisexual women's sexual Minority Stress. In much of the early research, the experiences of sexual Minority women and men were considered together (or women's experiences were inferred from men's), obscuring important differences. There is empirical and theoretical justification to consider the experiences of women and men separately and to develop and evaluate comprehensive models of sexual Minority Stress for women. Existing conceptualizations of sexual Minority Stress that include assessment of discrimination, victimization, harassment, concealment, internalized homonegativity may be applied, and perhaps adapted, to facilitate understanding of the unique Stressors associated with women's sexual Minority status. Future research must include mediators of the relationship between Stressors and outcomes such as individual (e.g., coping and resilience) and group (e.g., social support, identification with a sexual minori...
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sexual Minority Stress depressive symptoms and sexual orientation conflict focus on the experiences of bisexuals
Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2009Co-Authors: Robin J Lewis, Valerian J. Derlega, Debra Brown, Suzanna M Rose, James M HensonAbstract:The current study answers a need to provide information about bisexual as differentiated from gay/lesbian individuals and to increase understanding of the sexual Minority Stress experienced by bisexual individuals. Men and women who identified themselves as either bisexual or exclusively Lesbian/Gay (LG) were recruited nationwide and completed questionnaire measures of Stressors associated with sexual orientation, openness about sexual orientation, conflict about sexual orientation, and depressive symptoms. Bisexual participants were younger and more likely to be female compared to LG participants. Bisexuals reported more conflict regarding their sexual orientation, were less open about their sexual orientation, and reported less Minority Stress associated with violence and discrimination. There were no differences in depressive symptoms for bisexual vs. LG participants. Bisexuals who were more open reported more conflict about their sexual orientation. Bisexuals who reported more Stress associated with v...