Disparities in Social Health by Sexual Orientation and the Etiologic Role of Self-Reported Discrimination

Abstract

Some past work indicates that sexual minorities may experience impairments in social health, or the perceived and actual availability and quality of one’s social relationships, relative to heterosexuals; however, research has been limited in many ways. Furthermore, it is important to investigate etiological factors that may be associated with these disparities, such as self-reported discrimination. The current work tested whether sexual minority adults in the United States reported less positive social health (i.e., loneliness, friendship strain, familial strain and social capital) relative to heterosexuals and whether self-reported discrimination accounted for these disparities. Participants for the current study (N = 579) were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, including 365 self-identified heterosexuals (105 women) and 214 sexual minorities (103 women). Consistent with hypotheses, sexual minorities reported impaired social health relative to heterosexuals, with divergent patterns emerging by sexual orientation subgroup (which were generally consistent across sexes). Additionally, self-reported discrimination accounted for disparities across three of four indicators of social health. These findings suggest that sexual minorities may face obstacles related to prejudice and discrimination that impair the functioning of their relationships and overall social health. Moreover, because social health is closely related to psychological and physical health, remediating disparities in social relationships may be necessary to address other health disparities based upon sexual orientation. Expanding upon these results, implications for efforts to build resilience among sexual minorities are discussed.

Stigma-Based Rejection Experiences Affect Trust in Others

“…This is a possibility we are currently examining. However, this is not to say that stigma does not negatively affect relationships with fellow in-group members, as already shown (e.g., Doyle & Molix, 2015, 2016). Indeed, our own work is contributing to understanding the circumstances under which stigma-based experiences draw people away from or, instead, toward other in-group members (e.g., Van Breen, Barreto, Darden, & Dimitriou, submitted).…”

“…Specifically, stigma is associated with lowered self-esteem and increased anxiety and depression (Smart & Leary, 2009; Verhaeghe, Bracke, & Bruynooghe, 2008), which are in turn associated with negative expectations about, and avoidance of, social interactions (Inderbitzen et al, 1997; Lutwak & Ferrari, 1997). Exposure to stigma also impairs social relationship functioning (including in romantic relationships) among gay men facing homophobia (Doyle & Molix, 2015, 2016), African Americans facing racism (Doyle & Molix, 2014; Mendoza-Denton, Downey, Purdie, Davis, & Pietrzak, 2002), and women who encounter sexism (Cadaret, Hartung, Subich, & Weigold, 2017; Doyle & Molix, 2014; see also Richeson & Ambady, 2001).…”

Understanding sexual prejudice: The role of political ideology and strategic essentialism

“…Sexual minorities are often the target of widespread discrimination and experience inequities in many domains, ranging from employment, to healthcare, to education (D'Augelli, ; DeSouza, Wesselmann, & Ispas, ; Eliason & Schope, ; Elliot et al, ; Hebl, Foster, Mannix, & Dovidio, ). Additionally, evidence is accumulating that experiencing social‐identity‐based discrimination contributes to adverse mental and physical health consequences (Doyle & Molix, ; Pascoe & Richman, ). Although there are many factors that influence sexual orientation‐based discrimination, one potent predictor is people's attitudes toward sexual minorities, or their sexual prejudice.…”

An ignored minority status: Consequences for sexual minorities living in a biased society

“…Experiences and fear of rejection may lead sexual minorities to avoid close relationships contributing to loneliness, a significant risk factor for poor health (Cacioppo et al, 2015). Compared to heterosexuals, sexual minorities report greater loneliness (Doyle & Molix, 2016) and supports prior evidence that loneliness is more likely among stigmatized groups (Cacioppo et al, 2015). While many sexual minorities are now turning to social networking sites to establish and develop social connections to combat loneliness (Ceglarek & Ward, 2016) and explore their sexual identity (Harper et al, 2016), they can simultaneously become exposed to cyberbullying (Cooper & Blumenfeld, 2012).…”

“…Compared to heterosexuals, sexual minorities also report lower grade point averages (Russell et al, 2001), more truancy (Birkett et al, 2014), and often consider dropping out of post-secondary education in their first year (Rankin et al, 2010). Disparities in sexual minorities' relationships are also evidenced by a higher prevalence of intimate partner violence (Longobardi & Badenes-Ribera, 2017), worse romantic relationship functioning (Doyle & Molix, 2015b), and generally worse social health (Doyle & Molix, 2016), all of which are linked to stigma exposure.…”