Minority Stress

Drawing on resilience theories, this study examined the individual and community factors of Israeli lesbians, gays, bisexuals, queers, and questioning (LGBQs) that contribute to positive mental health and the degree to which individual and community protective factors mitigate the adverse effect of risk factors for poor mental health. Differences in resilience factors  between LGBQ youth and adults were explored. Data were collected on 890 LGBQ youth and adults. Findings emphasize the role of community-level resilience factors in the lives of LGBQs, and that these support systems differ slightly between the two age groups. Among youth, family support was both a strong predictor for well-being and a protective factor for mental distress. Although family support was found as a resilience factor among adults as well, other community-level factors (friends’ support, LGBT connectedness and having steady partner) were found as protective factors for poorer mental health. These findings suggest for efforts on fostering familial support for LGBQ youth and a multi-level system that offers support at the familial, peer, relationship and community levels for both LGBQ youth and adults.

This work identifies transgender oriented image memes as a dataset that reflects transgender lived experience, minority stress, and resilience. In this analysis of transgender memes, four themes were identified: Community, Bodies, Transgender Experience, and The Broken System of Gender. Memes about bodies dealt not only with medical transition, but discussed the distinction between euphoria and dysphoria, as well as cisgender expectations of transgender bodies and bodily narratives. Memes about community included depictions and acts of validation, discussions of reclamations of power, and the queering of media to form senses of community representation. Transgender experience memes discussed the ways being transgender tints otherwise common experiences, such as interfacing with family, or coming into one’s identity. Finally, the ways gender, as a social system, limit people and reinforce harmful hegemonic tendencies are discussed. Importantly, these memes demonstrated each element o...

Psychological processes may mediate the relationship between minority stress and mental health though limited data exist showing this pathway among trans women. Trans women's degree of satisfaction with their body is associated with mental health outcomes. This study used a model of minority stress to explore for indirect effects on the association between transphobia-based victimization and anxiety and depression through one's degree of body satisfaction. Analysis also explored for racial differences. Transgender women ( N = 233) were recruited in 2013 using respondent-driven sampling. Sociodemographics, transphobia-based victimization experiences such as having been physically abused, body satisfaction, and mental health were measured. Analyses assessed for direct and indirect associations while controlling for gender confirmation therapies (i.e., cross-sex hormone therapy and gender confirmation surgeries) and racial identity; 57% reported depression and 42.1% reported anxiety diagnoses. Participants averaged nearly three of six assessed violence experiences. More than 20% reported low body satisfaction. Contrary to authors' expectations, those reporting African American and Other racial identity experienced less transphobia-based violence than whites. Transphobia-based violence was significantly associated with anxiety, depression, and body satisfaction. Body satisfaction was associated with mental health diagnoses. Bootstrapping revealed significant indirect and total effects. Body satisfaction mediated the relationship between transphobia-based violence and mental health. Clinical intervention that promotes body satisfaction including access to gender confirmation therapies, especially hormone therapy, may prevent negative mental health outcomes among trans women. Individual intervention, however, is not a panacea for structural discrimination. Attention to structural interventions that reduce gender minority stressors including transphobia-based violence is necessary.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the generalizability of the minority stress model on predicting depressive symptomatology among sexual minority men living outside of the United States. In addition, the role of resilience and its relationship between individual minority stressors and depressive symptomatology is examined. The study utilized online purposive sampling and focused on sexual minority men living in Brazil; participants' (N ϭ 388) ages ranged from 18 to 56 years (M age ϭ 25.31, SD age ϭ 7.87, Mdn age ϭ 23). Participants completed measures that assessed sociodemographics, minority stressors, resilience, and symptoms of depression. Results of a hierarchical regression indicated that, while accounting for sociodemographics, enacted stigma and internalized homonegativity independently predicted participants' depressive symptomatology, whereas concealment of sexual identity did not. Further, to assess the role of resilience, while accounting for the effects of sociodemographics and minority stressors, results suggested that resilience significantly added to predicting depressive symptomatology and indicated that enacted stigma was the only minority stressor that significantly predicted depressive symptomatology. Lastly, when interactions between individual minority stressors and resilience were added to the model, results suggested that resilience moderated the relationship between concealment of sexual orientation and depressive symptomatology. The study's findings highlight the importance of considering sociocultural context and resilience in evaluating minority stress and depressive symptomatology among sexual minorities. The authors discuss the implications of this study in the context of theory, research, clinical practice, and policy among sexual minority men.

Minority stress is a cause of health challenges for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth experiencing homelessness. However, in over-focusing on family rejection, the research on LGBTQ youth homelessness often misses how minority stress itself can shape the youth’s perceived path- ways into and experiences of homelessness. A main objective of this study, then, foregrounds minority stress in understand- ing LGBTQ youth homelessness. To achieve this objective, the author conducted ethnographic fieldwork in central Texas and interviewed 40 LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. The author shows how experiencing intersecting minority stres- sors, especially within families and youth-serving institutions, is part of the perceived pathways into homelessness. The author also documents how experiencing homelessness in conjunction with experiencing anti-LGBTQ perceived discrimin- ation, violence, and other minority stressors such as racism impact the youth’s mental health challenges while living on the streets. A second objective of this study, then, shows how anti-LGBTQ discrimination intersects with other forms of preju- dice and discrimination to shape the youth’s stressors and pathways into and experiences of homelessness. The author concludes that intersecting minority stressors shape perceived pathways into homelessness and compound with the socially stressful experiences of homelessness, but social support, especially LGBTQ-specific support, can help ameliorate these challenges.

This paper presents an integrative review of current and classic theory and research on social stigma and its consequences for the socially stigmatized. Specific attention is paid to stigma-related processes surrounding race⁄ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. The origins and perpetration of social stigma are discussed alongside perspectives on how stigmatized groups and individuals experience stigma-related stress. Consideration is given to responses to stigma in the form of coping, social support, and meaning-making processes. Both the potential negative and positive consequences of social stigma are highlighted in this review through the integration of predominant social psychological theory with emerging critical and feminist theories of positive marginality and resistance. The paper culminates in a theoretical process model designed to provoke future theory and research that share its integrative aims.

Il Servizio Sociale ha come oggetto una realtà sempre più in movimento che ogni giorno presenta nuove problematiche sociali che possono derivare da differenti soggetti sociali. In questa tesi si vuole dimostrare come le professioni di assistenza, in particolare il servizio sociale, debbano porre l'attenzione anche sull'identità sessuale e di genere dell'utenza. Nell'elaborato vengono affrontate le dimensioni legate alla discriminazione e minority stress; per poi approfondire le buone prassi legate alla pratiche inclusive nei confronti della popolazione LGBT.

Black and Latino gay men and male-to-female transgender individuals in the US have historically faced a great deal of stigmatisation and discrimination as a result of their multiple minority status. Many are rejected by their traditional, religious, heteropatriarchal families and communities, and seek supportive social spaces in which to explore their sexual and gender identities freely. For some, this space comes in the form of the House and Ball Community of New York City. Within this community they find new constructed families and fictive kinship, which provide new methods of coping with the effects of social stressors and improving their mental health, while competing and performing in vibrant underground balls. However, although the community helps to ameliorate the negative effects of stigmatisation, it also introduces these individuals to new risk behaviours, including sexual risk and involvement in the sex trade. Using the Minority Stress Model, this study reviews the existing literature on this population in order to evaluate whether stigma-related stressors can lead to poor mental health; whether supportive social groups can offset or moderate the impact of stress on mental health; the correlation between House and Ball Community membership and the introduction of new risk behaviours. It will also consider whether some of these individuals place more value on maintaining a strong emotional and psychological support system, than the importance of their physical and sexual health.

With heightened cultural visibility and greater opportunities for connection, individuals with kinky sexual desires (e.g. BDSM, sexual fetishism, sexual role-playing) are increasingly constructing sexual identities that foreground their kink-oriented desires. However, we know little about how kinky individuals negotiate stigma as they construct sexual identities and engage in intimate practices which provide meaning and coherence to their sense of self. This study examined identity sentiment among an international sample of 265 kink-identified individuals. Participants were asked whether they feel negative, positive, or mixed about their kink identities. An exploratory latent class analysis of narrative data revealed four distinct types of stories: unelaborated affirmation, elaborated affirmation, compartmentalization, and isolation. Stories revealed that stigma, concealment, isolation, and self-pathologization represented sources of stress and negative self-evaluation. Involvement in a kink community and viewing one’s kink identity as a journey of growth and exploration were described as helping participants develop resiliency against societal stigma and mental health challenges. Implications of these findings for social psychological theories related to stigma, narrative, and minority stress are discussed.

This Essay seeks to draw connections between race, sexual orientation, and social science in Supreme Court litigation. In some respects, advocates for racial minorities and sexual minorities face divergent trajectories. Among those asserting civil rights claims, LGBT rights claimants have been uniquely successful at the Court ever since Romer v. Evans in the mid-1990s. During this period, advocates for racial minorities have fought to preserve earlier victories in cases such as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and have failed to overturn precedents that strictly limit equal protection possibilities, such as McCleskey v. Kemp. Nonetheless, we argue that the Court’s “fear of too much justice” links race and sexual orientation cases and helps to explain victories as well as losses. Even when advocates win in a case like Obergefell v. Hodges or Grutter v. Bollinger, the Court carefully cabins its opinion so as not to destabilize the social hierarchy. We illustrate this claim through a close examination of the use of social science in Obergefell. The Court disregarded evidence suggesting that same-sex couples and parents experience positive differences, as compared to heterosexuals, such as instilling greater respect for gender and sexual orientation equality in their children. The Court also asserted the innocence of opponents of same-sex marriage, ignoring evidence linking the denial of access to marriage to homophobia. In short, a movement to upend homophobic marriage laws was itself confined by homophobia, which influenced which arguments lawyers and Justices could articulate.

Historically, minority stress theory focused on the experiences of ‘sexual minorities;’ this study extends minority stress theory to understand the unique
stressors that trans* individuals face in academic workplaces. Using interview data from 10 trans* college and university faculty, I fill a noted gap in the literature
and examined the unique stressors that these faculty faced within the academy. In this study, microaggressions, a kind of minoritized stress, included: (mis)recognition, including misgendering and mispronouning, being an impossible
person, and tokenization. Additionally, trans* faculty reported strategies to resist these stressors. These findings suggest that trans* academics navigate hostile academic work environments and experience minoritized stress deriving from their minoritized gender identities. Implications for research indicate that addressing the personal and professional consequences of minoritized
stressors is an important step in understanding how microaggressions affect trans* academics. Implications for practice include the need for rethinking cisnormative assumptions within academe.

Per questa ricerca qualitativa sull’intersezionalità nelle storie di vita di persone transgender migranti sono statз coinvoltз cinque persone transgender titolarз di protezione internazionale, con un’età compresa tra i 20 e i 47 anni (M=31.6 anni; SD=4.18). Lз partecipantз risiedono nel Nord Italia e hanno dichiarato di appartenere alle seguenti nazionalità: Libia, Cuba, Brasile, Pakistan e Turchia.
L’obiettivo della ricerca è comprendere meglio il fenomeno migratorio e rispondere ad alcune domande specifiche sul fenomeno migratorio di persone transgender. Cosa accomuna persone che vengono da contesti socio-culturali così diversi? È possibile riscontrare dei temi che accomunano persone così diverse? Ci sono dei pattern comuni nelle motivazioni che spingono queste persone ad intraprendere un viaggio migratorio così importante?
Analizzando le interviste tramite il metodo dell’Analisi Tematica sono emersi tre temi principali:
a) Percorso di Individuazione composto dai sotto-temi della Definizione e del Percorso di Affermazione di Genere.
b) Minority Stress Migratorio inteso sia come motivazione alla migrazione sia come difficoltà e stressor nel periodo post-migratorio nel Paese di arrivo.
c) Nell’ambito della seguente ricerca, in maniera straordinaria, pur non avendo molte delle persone intervistate un’esperienza religiosa affermativa, è possibile usare la religione come strategia di coping partendo dal proprio vissuto di persona trans ed elaborando una teoria sulla propria esperienza di genere che è divergente rispetto alla teologia e al pensiero dominate della propria religione ma che permette alla persona di vivere in modo positivo la propria spiritualità.

Compared to heterosexuals, non-heterosexuals report: a) higher overall prevalence of internalizing mental disorders such as depression and anxiety; b) several-fold higher levels of suicidal behavior; c) elevated rates of tobacco, alcohol, and substance (ab)use; d) higher rates of risky-sexual behaviors that include higher risks of contracting STD's. This review explicates two of the most salient explanatory frameworks – Meyer's Minority Stress Theory (MST) and Hatzenbuehler's Psychological Mediation Framework (PMF) available for explaining these health outcomes. Prospects for future transdiagnostic interventions are outlined.

: Intolerance and discrimination towards sexual minorities are a worldwide phenomenon. India’s transformation from a prejudiced and stigmatized country to a minority friendly society is a worth speculating. People of sexual minorities, and their rights, once recognized in past are more likely to face harassment, threat of violence, moral policing because of the lack of social acceptance and legal recognition. LGBT people, as members of a social minority group, are suffering from various forms of socio-economic and cultural injustices which in turn make them vulnerable to mental health problems. But this highly significant aspect is understudied by the academia and the policy makers. This article is the first attempt to explore the impact of law, society and culture on the mental health of LGBT community in India.

Research suggests that transgender people face high levels of discrimination in society, which may contribute to their disproportionate risk for poor health. However, little is known about whether gender nonconformity, as a visible marker of one’s stigmatized status as a transgender individual, heightens
trans people’s experiences with discrimination and, in turn, their health. Using data from the largest survey of transgender adults in the United States, the National Transgender Discrimination
Survey (N = 4,115), we examine the associations among gender nonconformity, transphobic discrimination, and health-harming behaviors (i.e., attempted suicide, drug/alcohol abuse, and smoking). The results suggest that gender nonconforming trans people face more discrimination and, in turn, are
more likely to engage in health-harming behaviors than trans people who are gender conforming. Our findings highlight the important role of gender nonconformity in the social experiences and well-being of transgender people.

This work identifies transgender oriented image memes as a dataset that reflects transgender lived experience, minority stress, and resilience. In this analysis of transgender memes, four themes were identified: Community, Bodies, Transgender Experience, and The Broken System of Gender. Memes about bodies dealt not only with medical transition, but discussed the distinction between euphoria and dysphoria, as well as cisgender expectations of transgender bodies and bodily narratives. Memes about community included depictions and acts of validation, discussions of reclamations of power, and the queering of media to form senses of community representation. Transgender experience memes discussed the ways being transgender tints otherwise common experiences, such as interfacing with family, or coming into one’s identity. Finally, the ways gender, as a social system, limit people and reinforce harmful hegemonic tendencies are discussed. Importantly, these memes demonstrated each element of minority stress, as well as resilience against such stressors.

Despite its centrality to social stress theory, research on the social patterning of stress exposure and coping resources has been sparse and existing research shows conflicting results. We interviewed 396 gay, lesbian and bisexual, and 128 heterosexual people in New York City to examine variability in exposure to stress related to sexual orientation, gender, and race/ethnicity. Multiple linear regression showed clear support for the social stress hypothesis with regard to race/ethnic minority status, somewhat mixed support with regard to sexual orientation, and no support with regard to gender. We discuss this lack of parsimony in social stress explanations for health disparities.

Objective: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experience elevated rates of minority stress, which has been linked to higher rates of nicotine and substance use. Research on this disparity to date is largely predicated on methodology that is insensitive to within-day SGM-based discrimination experiences, or their relation to momentary nicotine and substance use risk. We address this knowledge gap in the current study using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Method: Fifty SGM individuals, between 18 and 45 years of age, were recruited from an inland northwestern university, regardless of their nicotine or substance use history, and invited to participate in an EMA study. Each were prompted to provide data, 6 times daily (between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.) for 14 days, regarding SGM-based discrimination, other forms of mistreatment, and nicotine, drug, and alcohol use since their last prompt. Results: Discrimination experiences that occurred since individuals’ last measur...

The coming out (CO) process is fundamental for identity integration among LGBQ+ people, and its impact can vary greatly depending on personal and contextual factors. The historical, cultural, and social contexts in which LGBQ+ people develop their sexual identity can mediate the relationship between CO and health outcomes. The present study aimed at clarifying the CO process in three generations of Italian LGBQ+ people (young adults: aged 20-40 years; middle adults: aged 41-60 years; older adults: aged 61-80 years) by providing data on: (a) sexual orientation milestones, such as age of first awareness, age of first self-label, and age of first CO, as well as the rate of disclosure during different life stages; (b) the rate and average age of CO to significant others; and (c) CO within the religious context and its effect on participants' minority stress experiences. A total of 266 Italian LGBQ+ people participated in the study, with ages ranging from 20 to 80 years (M = 41.15, SD = 16.13). Findings indicated that, on average, the older adult group became self-aware, self-labeled, and disclosed their sexual identity at a significantly older age than the other groups. Older adults were also more Catholic and had CO more frequently to their Catholic community, relative to young and middle adults. CO within the Catholic context was associated with distal and proximal minority stressors, such as discrimination, vigilance, and internalized sexual stigma. Catholic community reactions to participants' CO were distinguished through thematic analysis in three main types: unconditional acceptance, invitation to change, and open rejection. The present research extended current knowledge on CO and minority stress experiences in different generations of LGBQ+ people. Several differences emerged between generational groups on sexual orientation milestones, highlighting the potential impact of historical and cultural contexts in determining sexual minorities' experiences related to sexual identity. It is recommended that mental health professionals working with LGBQ+ clients implement targeted interventions based on their clients' multiple salient aspects, including age and religious background. Clinicians should also be aware of the potentially detrimental effects of CO within an unsupportive context, rather than encouraging CO tout court.

The authors review research on the risk factors for, and
prevalence of, psychological disorders as they relate to gender
nonconformity in adolescence and adulthood. Findings from
existing literature suggest gender nonconforming individuals
are more likely to experience a variety of risk factors associated
with psychopathology when compared with general and sexual
minority populations. Associated with these risk factors, gender
nonconforming individuals also report higher rates of
psychopathology as well. The authors propose more research
that examines gender nonconformity as an independent line of
inquiry that transcends sexual orientation and gender identity.

Although studies have shown links between minority stress and mental health (e.g., Meyer, 2003), there is little research explaining this association. Research has suggested that adequate coping skills might protect youth from the negative impact of stress (Compas et al., 2017). Thus, we aimed to examine: 1) whether associations between minority stress and depressive symptoms occurred through mechanisms of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, and 2) whether these associations were dependent on level of problem-solving coping (moderated mediation). Using an online survey of 267 sexual minority youth from the Netherlands (16-22 years; 28.8% male), the results show an indirect relationship of sexual orientation victimization and internalized homophobia with depressive symptoms occurring through perceived burdensomeness; for both males and females. Problem-solving coping skills did not significantly moderate the aforementioned indirect relationships. These results have i...

This study examines the nature and impact of sexist and homophobic discrimination experienced by lesbians, gays and bisexuals (LGB) in Australian sporting settings. A mixed methods online survey was utilised to collate participant experiences. The findings suggest that, in sport, participants experienced sexism directly and systemically, and homophobia explicitly and implicitly. Women experienced sexism and homophobia, whilst men reported more homophobic events. The most mentioned impacts of discrimination were negative emotions such as sadness, anger, distress and shame, followed by negative engagement with sport such as disliking sport, or avoiding or leaving sport. The well recognised benefits of sport such as physical and mental wellbeing, social connections, enjoyment, positive identity and achievement may be more difficult to realise within this context of significant social stress.

Suicide is considered an issue of particular relevance in the context of health: It is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24, and 60% of transitions from suicidal ideation to first suicide attempt occur within the first year of ideation onset (Nock et al., 2008a). A large body of literature on suicidal behaviors identifies numerous risk factors (Nock et al., 2008b). Among the demographic, social, and psychological variables found to be Downloaded by [Universita Studi la Sapienza], [Roberto Baiocco] at 11:

The study from an Interpersonal Phenomenological Approach of gay sexuality in cultural terms offers an opportunity to identify the driving force behind why some men will marry a woman to fit into the society they grew up in. This study presents a case of a 40-year-old man, called Dillion living in London but wants to move back to Sri Lanka, who negotiates his identity to fit in with Sri Lanka and in London. The case study highlights the struggle of juggling between the culture of his birth and the culture he now lives in with his drive to become accepted.

This study examines some of the perceptions amongst Spanish LGBTQ+ youth during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent confinement and lockdown measures, between March and May 2020. During this time, many of these young people were forced to return to their family homes and restrict their social relations. This new situation often exposed them to forms of violence from which there was no escape, with negative consequences for their psychosocial health. The study evaluates the correlations between perceived social support, burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and the people with whom LGBTQ+ youth lived during confinement. A descriptive and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and bivariate correlations is used to examine the responses of 394 LGBTQ+ youth, between 17 and 21 years of age, residing in Spain. Overall, the study finds that gender is key when explaining the differences between the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth, with women and non-binary individual...

There are many different perspectives for understanding autism. These perspectives may each convey different levels of stigma for autistic individuals. This qualitative study aimed to understand how autistic individuals make sense of their own autism and experience the stigma attached to autism. The study used critical grounded theory tools. Participants (N ¼ 20) discussed autism as central to their identity, and integral to who they are. While participants thought of autism as value neutral, they expressed how society confers negative meanings onto autism, and thus, them. The findings also indicate that different understandings of autism confer different levels of stigma. Participants expressed constant exposure to stigma and managed this stigma in different ways. Such methods included reframing to more positive understandings of autism, the reclamation of language, and using concealment and disclosure strategically. The implications of these findings are discussed further in the article.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are often exposed to stressors based on their nonheterosexual status; they may have unique needs related to help-seeking for mental health in a rural area where more people identify as religious or as politically conservative. To date, there have been no studies on the mental health help-seeking experiences of LGB individuals in rural Northern Michigan. This qualitative, single case study was completed to explore the help-seeking experiences of 10 LGB individuals who were recruited through criterion and snowball sampling. In-depth, semi structured interviews were conducted. Transcribed interview data were entered into Nvivo software
for coding and then examined through two perspectives: Meyer’s minority stress theory and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Thematic analysis identified three themes: (a) reasons for seeking treatment, which included experiences of distal stressors and proximal stress reactions, (b) experiences with the help-seeking process, and (c)
suggestions for improving the help-seeking process. Findings of the study were that distal stressors increased feelings of isolation and “otherness.” When individuals sought help, they encountered barriers related to lack of resource options, lack of acceptance or feelings of passivity. This created a sense of distrust with providers, thus affecting future help-seeking. The results of this study draw attention to LGB population in rural Northern Michigan, who may be inadequately treated based on little community acceptance, few provider options, and negative provider reactions. The knowledge generated from this study could lead to improved services and reduce the aforementioned
disparities for this population.

Discrimination due to personal characteristics (e.g., gender, sexuality, appearance) is a common yet stress-ful experience that is detrimental to mental health. Prior work has not considered how spouses in same-and different-sex marriages help each other cope with discrimination despite the importance of marriage for managing stress and adversity. We analyze survey data collected from both spouses in same-sex and different-sex marriages within the United States (N = 836 individuals) to examine whether support from spouses weakens the impact of discrimination on depressive symptoms. Results suggest that discrimination contributes to depressive symptoms, but greater support from spouses buffers the mental health consequences of discrimination. Individuals in same-sex marriages report more spousal support than individuals in different-sex marriages, even after accounting for experiences of discrimination. Same-sex couples may get needed spousal support, whereas women married to men receive the least spousal support and may be vulnerable to stressors that challenge mental health.

An online survey of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults (N ϭ 1,552) examined minority stress (I. H. Meyer, 2003) and psychological distress following the 2006 general election in which constitutional amendments to limit marriage to 1 man and 1 woman were on the ballot in 9 states. Following the November election, participants living in states that passed a marriage amendment reported significantly more minority stress (i.e., exposure to negative media messages and negative conversations, negative amendment-related affect, and LGB activism) and higher levels of psychological distress (negative affect, stress, and depressive symptoms) than participants living in the other states. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant positive main effects of minority stress factors and state ballot status on psychological distress. In addition, the association between amendment-related affect and psychological distress was significantly higher in states that had passed a marriage amendment compared with other states. Discussion of these findings emphasizes that marriage amendments create an environment associated with negative psychological outcomes for LGB individuals.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experience elevated rates of minority stress, which has been linked to higher rates of nicotine and substance use. Research on this disparity to date is largely predicated on methodology that is insensitive to within day SGM-based discrimination experiences, or their relation to momentary nicotine and substance use risk. We address this knowledge gap in the current study using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Fifty SGM individuals, between 18 and 45 years of age, were recruited from an inland northwestern university, regardless of their nicotine or substance use history, and invited to participate in an EMA study. Each were prompted to provide data, six times daily (between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.) for 14 days, regarding SGM-based discrimination, other forms of mistreatment, and nicotine, drug, and alcohol use since their last prompt. Discrimination experiences that occurred since individuals' last measurement prompt were asso...

Researchers interested in sexual minority health are beginning to
examine contextual and environmental determinants of health such as neighbourhoods, health services, and social policies. Efforts to catalogue and systematise policies relating to the health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are therefore central in uncovering more comprehensive determinants of LGB health.This commentary identifies the links between social policy and LGB health, some methodological concerns of spatial analyses in this research area, and some future research directions. In particular, there is a need to integrate both migration and life course into understandings of the relationships between LGB health and jurisdictional policies.

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The coming out (CO) process is fundamental for identity integration among LGBQ+ people, and its impact can vary greatly depending on personal and contextual factors. The historical, cultural, and social contexts in which LGBQ+ people develop their sexual identity can mediate the relationship between CO and health outcomes. The present study aimed at clarifying the CO process in three generations of Italian LGBQ+ people (young adults: aged 20–40 years; middle adults: aged 41–60 years; older adults: aged 61–80 years) by providing data on: (a) sexual orientation milestones, such as age of first awareness, age of first self-label, and age of first CO, as well as the rate of disclosure during different life stages; (b) the rate and average age of CO to significant others; and (c) CO within the religious context and its effect on participants’ minority stress experiences. A total of 266 Italian LGBQ+ people participated in the study, with ages ranging from 20 to 80 years (M = 41.15, SD = ...

LGB Help-Seeking for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Rural Northern Michigan by Jennifer Kathleen Towns MSW, University of Michigan, 2005 BA, Alma College, 2003 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy