The ups and downs of being lesbian, gay, and bisexual: A daily experience perspective on minority stress and support processes.

Abstract

Daily diary methods were used to explore identity-related stress and support processes as they occurred from day-to-day in a sample of 61 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults. At the end of each day for 7-10 consecutive days, participants reported on daily identity-salient experiences (ISEs), proximal minority stressors (internalized stigma, expectations of rejection), and affect (positive, negative). A multilevel latent covariate model was used to examine within- and between-person interrelations among these variables. Participants described a variety of positive and negative ISEs with both heterosexual and LGB people. These ISEs accounted for change in affect from 1 day to the next, even controlling for positive and negative experiences unrelated to identity. For example, relative to the previous day, participants experienced increases in positive affect on days featuring positive ISEs with both heterosexual people and LGB people. ISEs also predicted daily proximal stress variables, and findings differed at the 2 levels of analysis. For example, at the within-person level, participants experienced decreases in internalized stigma on days featuring positive ISEs with heterosexuals. At the between-person level, however, findings indicated that participants who generally had the highest levels of internalized stigma were more likely than others to report negative ISEs with LGB people and less likely to report positive ISEs with LGB people. Finally, proximal stress variables predicted affect at the within-person level: Affect improved on days when levels of internalized stigma and expected rejection were lower than usual. (PsycINFO Database Record

Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among Bisexual People Compared to Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Individuals:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…While there is a robust body of evidence supporting the validity of the minority stress framework in relation to the mental health of lesbian/gay people (e.g., Fingerhut, Peplau, & Gable, 2010;Hatzenbuehler, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Erickson, 2008) as well as sexual minority people as a combined group (e.g., Lewis, Derlega, Griffin, & Krowinski, 2003;Mohr & Sarno, 2016), there is less evidence in support of the model to explain outcomes among bisexual people specifically, because across studies that have compared sexual orientation groups in this regard, bisexual people were found to report fewer discrimination events than gay or lesbian people (Bostwick, Boyd, Hughes, West, & McCabe, 2014;Herek, 2009;McLaren, 2016).…”

As the states turned: Implications of the changing legal context of same-sex marriage on well-being

“…Stress is considered a robust mechanism in health disparities (Adler & Rehkopf, 2008), and stigmatization, specifically, is a social stressor that is a "fundamental cause" of disease (Link & Phelan, 1995). Extensive research has demonstrated the negative effects of minority stress on sexual minority individuals and same-sex relationships, including increased risk for depressive and anxiety symptoms (Hatzenbuehler, McLaughlin, Keyes, & Hasin, 2010;Newcomb & Mustanski, 2010), maladaptive coping (Szymanski & Henrichs-Beck, 2014), emotional dysregulation (Mohr & Sarno, 2016), decreased social support and relationship quality (Cao et al, 2017), and increased feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness (Hatzenbuehler, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Dovidio, 2009).…”

The Role of School Psychologists in addressing Challenges Facing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Students

“…Griffin (2012) indicates that many schools and other learning institutions are yet to come up with approaches to ameliorate the situation. For instance, Mohr and Sarno (2016), have shown that more than half (55% ) of LGBT individuals report felt insecure at school due to their sexual orientation and 38 percent felt insecure due to their gender identity.…”

“…Ideally, all relevant stakeholders ought to articulate plans to decrease bullying and inappropriate judgment towards LGBTs. This research therefore assesses efforts directed towards training school officials to respect the autonomy of LGBT community within the school setting; it also assesses existing laws directed towards the protection of this vulnerable group (Mohr and Sarno, 2016).…”

“…In the US where non-heterosexuality was widely denoted as homosexuality. In the 1970s, a group of lesbians emerged and changed the definition of homosexuals (Mohr and Sarno, 2016). Bisexual and transgender individuals later emerged and joined the movement and their inclusion led to the development of the term LGBT.…”