This study examined self‐stigma of seeking psychological help and mental health literacy as predictors of college students’ (N = 1,535) help‐seeking attitudes, with additional attention to psychological and demographic correlates. Results indicated that mental health literacy predicted help‐seeking attitudes above and beyond self‐stigma. Asian American race/ethnicity, male gender, current psychological distress, and help‐seeking history were also significant predictors. Implications for addressing mental health literacy and self‐stigma while attending to demographic and psychological variations in help seeking are discussed.

Empirical findings indicate that sexual and gender minorities report notably poorer outcomes on measures of mental health when compared with cisgender/heterosexual individuals. Although several studies have examined these issues, few have taken the time to examine differences between cisgender/ heterosexual and specific lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities. This is especially important as an increasing number of new gender and sexual identities emerge, yet limitations in statistical power often preclude such analyses. Thus, the following study addressed this gap by examining data from a large sample of college students from the national Health Minds Study (n ϭ 43,632). Results indicated that college students with transgender and gender nonconforming identities reported significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms compared with students with cisgender identities, with large effect sizes. Disparities were also significant across sexual minority participants, with the smallest effect sizes being between heterosexual and gay/lesbian individuals, and the largest effect sizes between heterosexual and pansexual participants for depression, and heterosexual and demisexual participants for anxiety. We also found evidence of an interaction of gender and sexual identity impacting mental health such that those with minority statuses in both identity groups had significantly worse outcomes compared to those with only one minority identity. Our results indicate that individuals in the emerging sexual and gender minority categories (pansexual, demisexual, asexual, queer, questioning, and transgender/gender nonconforming) report significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety when compared with cisgender/heterosexual individuals, and even significantly more than those who identify as gay/lesbian. Implications for mental health providers and researchers are discussed. Public Significance StatementResults indicate that participants identifying as an emerging identity (pansexual, demisexual, and gender nonconforming) report the highest levels of anxiety and depression. Those who identified as both a gender and sexual minority had higher anxiety and depression rates compared with those who had a minority status in only one group.

For several decades, investigators have attempted to identify factors that explain why some men perpetrate sexual assault in college. However, despite a strong emphasis on men as the perpetrators of sexual assault, current reviews have yet to analyze different masculinities in relation to sexual assault offending. In the present narrative review, we critically examined college sexual assault research published between 1950 and 2015 and identified 3 distinct approaches to examining masculinities: sex comparisons, men’s attitudes toward women and violence, and constructs informed by the normative and gender role strain paradigms of the psychology of men. Findings revealed that (a) studies of sexual assault perpetration focusing on men and masculinities are relatively rare in the extant literature; (b) sex differences in perpetration rates are complex; (c) men’s attitudes toward women and violence are strong predictors of sexual assault perpetration, and also the most common approach to studying masculinities in relation to sexual assault offending, but they may be limited in their definition; and (d) research examining men’s sexual assault perpetration using constructs central to the psychology of men is generally underdeveloped and underrepresented. Future directions for research are discussed, including a need for more investigations focusing on ethnic and sexual orientation diversity, broader definitions of masculinity, and more inquiry using normative and gender role strain constructs.

Sense of community can buffer against negative mental health outcomes in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. Valid measurement of this construct can better inform research, assessment, and intervention designed to promote well-being in this population. The present study aims to evaluate the validity of the Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) among sexual minority individuals. The scale was administered to 219 LGB participants within a larger assessment of health needs in a southern lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population. Validity evidence was evaluated using the Downing model. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed good fit for a secondorder model, supporting internal structure validity. Acceptable to excellent internal validity was demonstrated. Correlational analyses revealed negative relations with loneliness, internalized homophobia, and poor mental health. This study provides evidence for the use of the BSCS in an LGB population and demonstrates the utility in measuring the sense of community in sexual minority individuals.

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