Minority stress and well-being under anti-sodomy legislation in India.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 432-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharanya Rao ◽  
Chandra D. Mason
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 1282-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christi L Nelson ◽  
Ross Andel

Abstract Background and Objectives Based on the Minority Stress Theory, this article examines the associations between sexual orientation and self-reported measures of physical, mental, and cognitive health, as well as health risk behaviors. Research Design and Methods The analytical sample included members of the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study aged 50+ years. Binary and ordered logistic regressions were conducted to assess whether being a sexual minority was associated with poorer self-rated physical, mental, and cognitive health, as well as being more likely to engage in health risk behaviors. Results In analyses using overall and propensity-matched samples, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) participants were about twice as likely to report ever having depression as their heterosexual counterparts but were also more likely to report better self-rated health. The LGB group was more likely to report ever having smoked but were not significantly different in any of the other health risk behaviors. Discussion and Implications LGB individuals appear to be at greater risk of ever experiencing depression than heterosexual individuals but, at the same time, report better physical health. This may suggest a tendency for resilience. Differences in health risk behavior may also exist. Mental health and other medical professionals should receive special training to better understand the unique problems of LGB individuals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen J. LeBlanc ◽  
David M. Frost

We simultaneously examined the effects of individual- and couple-level minority stressors on mental health among people in same-sex relationships. Individual-level minority stressors emerge from the stigmatization of sexual minority individuals; couple-level minority stressors emerge from the stigmatization of same-sex relationships. Dyadic data from 100 same-sex couples from across the United States were analyzed with actor–partner interdependence models. Couple-level stigma was uniquely associated with nonspecific psychological distress, depressive symptomatology, and problematic drinking, net the effects of individual-level stigma and relevant sociodemographic controls. Analyses also show that couple-level minority stress played unique roles in critical stress processes of minority stress proliferation: minority stress expansion and minority stress contagion. The inclusion of couple-level stress constructs represents a useful extension of minority stress theory, enriching our capacity to deepen understandings of minority stress experience and its application in the study of well-being and health inequalities faced by vulnerable populations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mason Garrison ◽  
Michael J. Doane ◽  
Marta Elliott

Sexual minorities have poorer mental and physical health than heterosexuals; these health disparities are consistently attributed to discrimination. However, the mechanisms linking discrimination with health outcomes remain unclear. This exploratory study examines whether fast-acting mechanisms, like the minority stress model's “stressful social environment[s],” contribute to these disparities by exploiting the unanticipated election of Donald Trump on November 8, 2016. Gay men and lesbians participated in a 10-day longitudinal daily-diary study, beginning the day before the election (November 7–16, 2016). On the day after the election, participants reported immediate changes in health (e.g., depression, Cohen’s d = 1.33; illness, 0.44), well-being (e.g., happiness, −0.91), and discrimination (0.45). The immediacy and magnitude of participants’ responses are consistent with the minority stress model. This study provides a window into the experiences of gay men and lesbians, and illustrates how minority stresses, such as political uncertainty and discrimination, may impact vulnerable sexual minorities.


2020 ◽  

BACKGROUND: The health and well-being of those sexual-minority men who are often behaviourally defined as men who have sex with men (MSM) is affected by a system of interlinked factors that interact on the structural, interpersonal, and individual levels. Recently, two of the most common MSM health issues have been (a) the risks of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), mostly HIV, and (b) the sexualized use of addictive substances, known as chemsex. AIMS: On the basis of the first comprehensive Czech dataset to integrate several mutually interlinked factors on the behavioural, as well as the psychological and structural domains, we attempt to shed light on the barriers to HIV testing and adherence to safer sex practices, including the most thorough description of the chemsex phenomenon that is available. We aim to go beyond the behavioural perspective and draw links to the well-being and satisfaction of this sexual minority and their sex lives. METHODS: A series of descriptive statistical analyses was conducted on a sample of 547 respondents obtained within a self-administered online survey. RESULTS: More than half of our respondents (55%) and three-quarters (72%) of the men younger than 25 years have never been tested for HIV. One-third of the respondents considered testing services to be insufficiently friendly to gay, bisexual, or other men, and they also reported stigmatization and discrimination by healthcare workers as a problem that exists. 84% of the MSM have experience with anal sex; 43% of them always use condoms. Of all the respondents, nearly 6% have had at least one chemsex experience during their life. Only 46% of the MSM reported being satisfied with their sex lives; 52% of those who were dissatisfied attributed this to “not having a steady partner” and 49% to “not having any sex”. CONCLUSION: The sexual behaviour of MSM and their experience with HIV testing, chemsex, perceived stigma, and satisfaction with their sex lives are among the phenomena that deserve to be more regularly covered by relevant epidemiological examinations. Although our current analysis was more exploratory than in-depth, it may contribute to a better understanding of the syndemic and multifactorial conditions that influence the sexual behaviour of MSM, including the minority stress that may be rooted in deficiencies in our understanding of these populations.


Author(s):  
J. Golembe ◽  
B. Leyendecker ◽  
N. Maalej ◽  
A. Gundlach ◽  
J. Busch

Abstract Introduction While many refugees have settled in Germany within recent years, little is known about LGBTQ* (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer*) refugees, a potentially vulnerable group. This qualitative study investigated LGBTQ* refugees’ experiences of distal and proximal minority stressors as well as their mental health burdens during the post-migration period. Methods In 2018, 26 self-identified LGBTQ* refugees were recruited in community centers of different metropolitan areas of Germany and interviewed in three focus groups. Anonymized transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results LGBTQ* refugees experienced discrimination based on their intersecting identities. Some described daily occurrences and higher rates in comparison with premigration. Moreover, LGBTQ* refugees reported expectations of rejection and thus concealed their identities, while some also demonstrated identity acceptance. Reported mental health burdens covered internalizing symptoms as well as low levels of well-being. Conclusions Findings suggest that LGBTQ* refugees are especially vulnerable to multiple forms of discrimination based on their intersecting identities. For a subgroup of participants, both discrimination experiences and mental health burdens subjectively increased during post-migration. Policy Implications Our evidence substantiated that LGBTQ* refugees need to be distinctively acknowledged in social policies to counter their specific patterns of experienced discrimination and improve their mental health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K. Mosher ◽  
John M. McConnell ◽  
Joshua N. Hook ◽  
Laura E. Captari ◽  
Adam Hodge ◽  
...  

Cultural humility has been shown to enhance cross-cultural relationships, but little research has explored how individuals perceive the cultural humility of a salient group. In the current study, we examined how perceptions of the cultural humility of a religious community affect the well-being of sexual minorities, who frequently experience discrimination, minority stress, and relational conflict in faith communities. As predicted, results indicated higher levels of perceived cultural humility in religious communities were associated with less depression, less anxiety, and more sense of belonging. Furthermore, minority stress mediated the relation between group cultural humility and depression, anxiety, and sense of belonging, even after controlling for the religious community’s stance on LGB issues. We discuss our findings, limitations, and future directions for research, as well as offer practical applications for how cultural humility can benefit religious communities and sexual minorities.


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