Resilience in the face of sexual minority stress: “Choices” between authenticity and self-determination

Levitt, Heidi M.; Horne, Sharon G.; Herbitter, Cara; Ippolito, Marica Rosaria; Reeves, Teresa; Baggett, Linda R.; Maxwell, David; Dunnavant, Bridget R.; Geiss, Meghan

doi:10.1080/10538720.2016.1126212

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Experience of ease in contemplation, communication, and enactments of sexuality and sex 57 Exploration of sexual identities and experiences; 58 associated with partner communication, trust, and forgiveness; 59 mindfulness in attending to sexual contexts 43,60 Comfort in sexual communication associated with improved sexual health behaviours such as contraceptive use; 61 ease in discussing sexual anatomy with a health professional; alleviating sexual guilt Feeling focused and experiencing a sense of flow during sexual activities; absence of unwanted thoughts during sexual activities; absence of shame about sexual thoughts and desires; feeling comfortable with your sexual identity and preferences; a pleasurable sex life…”

Section: Comfort With Sexualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What is sexual wellbeing and why does it matter for public health?

Mitchell

Lewis

O’Sullivan

et al. 2021

The Lancet Public Health

149

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Sexual health has provided a guiding framework for addressing sexuality in public health for several decades. Although the WHO definition of sexual health is revolutionary in acknowledging positive sexuality, public health approaches remain focused on risk and adverse outcomes. The long-standing conflation of sexual health and sexual wellbeing has affected our ability to address everyday sexual issues. This Viewpoint provides a way forward to resolve this impasse. We propose sexual wellbeing as a distinct and revolutionary concept that can be operationalised as a seven-domain model. We situate sexual wellbeing alongside sexual health, sexual justice, and sexual pleasure as one of four pillars of public health enquiry. We argue that sexual wellbeing is imperative to public health as a marker of health equity, a meaningful population indicator of wellbeing, a means to capture population trends distinct from sexual health, and an opportunity to refocus the ethics, form, and practices of public health.

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Section: Comfort With Sexualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What is sexual wellbeing and why does it matter for public health?

Mitchell

Lewis

O’Sullivan

et al. 2021

The Lancet Public Health

149

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“…Embracing positive identity and connecting to supportive communities may be important strategies for countering microaggressions, the everyday derogatory messages and hostile behaviors directed toward marginalized social groups such as sexual minorities and people of color (Nadal, Whitman, Davis, Erazo, & Davidoff, 2016; Nadal et al, 2011). It is important for helping professionals working with sexual minorities to recognize that processes of assessing risk of identity disclosure, synthesizing multiple identities, choosing battles, and cultivating authenticity in often adversarial environments are ongoing, and often require continuing evaluation and development of new solutions (Levitt et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strengths and coping strategies in the life narratives of sexual minority women

Drabble

Trocki

Salcedo

et al. 2018

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services

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This study explored self-described strengths and strategies for coping with stress among sexual minority women (SMW), drawing on qualitative narratives of sexual minority and heterosexual women who were recruited from a population based sample. In-depth follow-up qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with 48 women who had participated the National Alcohol Survey, a U.S. population-based survey. Participants included 25 SMW and 16 matched exclusively heterosexual women. Narrative data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparison to explore the study aim, with an emphasis on themes that diverged or that were particularly salient for SMW relative to heterosexual women. Strengths and coping strategies that were especially meaningful in the narratives of sexual minority women emerged in two areas. First, participants described development of intrapersonal strengths through nurturing an authentic sense of self and embracing multifaceted identity. Second, participant described multiple strategies for cultivation of interpersonal resources: navigating distance and closeness with family of origin, cultivating supportive friends and chosen family, connecting to community, finding solace and joy with animals, and engaging in collective action. Findings underscore the importance of considering protective factors that are salient to SMW in developing or refining prevention and intervention efforts.

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“…Their sample of sexual minority adults (6 identified as gay, 7 identified as lesbian, and 3 identified as bisexual) reported that their experiences with minority stressors led them to feel conflicted between being authentic about their LGB identity and risking selfdetermination (i.e., having autonomy, abilities to accomplish goals, and/or a sense of belonging), or being inauthentic and maintaining self-determination. Levitt et al (2016) noted that achieving authenticity via the integration of various identities seemed to positively influence LGB people's mental health, whereas having to live inauthentically as a response to minority stressors had a negative impact on the individual's well-being (Levitt et al, 2016). They further concluded that their findings call for additional study of authenticity within the context of minority stress.…”

Section: Role Of Authenticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to understand experiences of minority stress and resilience for sexual minority individuals, Levitt et al (2016) conducted a qualitative study using a grounded theory approach. Their sample of sexual minority adults (6 identified as gay, 7 identified as lesbian, and 3 identified as bisexual) reported that their experiences with minority stressors led them to feel conflicted between being authentic about their LGB identity and risking selfdetermination (i.e., having autonomy, abilities to accomplish goals, and/or a sense of belonging), or being inauthentic and maintaining self-determination.…”

Section: Role Of Authenticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The relations among outness, authenticity, and well-being for bisexual adults.

Brownfield

2022

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

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Outness, a proximal minority stressor for sexual minority people, consists of 2 subconstructs (disclosure and concealment) and demonstrates relationships with mental health outcomes such as well-being. Newly studied, authenticity may be related to outness and to mental health outcomes, potentially influencing the outness-well-being relationship. Additionally, a majority of research has examined minority stressors for lesbians and gay men, and few studies have investigated the unique experiences of bisexual individuals. The present study examined the associations of 2 subconstructs of outness-disclosure and concealment (as a sexual minority and specifically as bisexual)-with bisexual adults' well-being and whether authenticity mediated the relationship between these subconstructs of outness and well-being. Fourhundred and 47 bisexual participants completed an online survey. Analyses revealed that bisexual disclosure was positively associated with well-being after accounting for the contribution of sexual minority disclosure, whereas bisexual concealment was not associated with well-being when accounting for the contribution of sexual minority concealment. Authenticity mediated the relationship between bisexual disclosure and well-being, and it mediated the relationship between bisexual concealment and well-being. Results further our understanding of bisexual individuals' mental health, particularly in regards to bisexual disclosure and concealment. Public Significance StatementThis study explored the relations among outness, authenticity, and well-being for bisexual adults. Results showed that greater disclosure of one's bisexual identity and less concealment of bisexual identity were associated with greater authenticity, and greater authenticity was associated with greater well-being.

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Resilience in the face of sexual minority stress: “Choices” between authenticity and self-determination

Cited by 31 publications

References 60 publications

What is sexual wellbeing and why does it matter for public health?

What is sexual wellbeing and why does it matter for public health?

Strengths and coping strategies in the life narratives of sexual minority women

The relations among outness, authenticity, and well-being for bisexual adults.

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