Minority stress model meyer

Federal government websites often end in.

Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. In this article the author reviews research evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals LGBs and shows, using meta-analyses, that LGBs have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than heterosexuals. The author offers a conceptual framework for understanding this excess in prevalence of disorder in terms of minority stress —explaining that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems. The model describes stress processes, including the experience of prejudice events, expectations of rejection, hiding and concealing, internalized homophobia, and ameliorative coping processes. This conceptual framework is the basis for the review of research evidence, suggestions for future research directions, and exploration of public policy implications. The study of mental health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual LGB populations has been complicated by the debate on the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder during the s and early s.

Minority stress model meyer

Minority stress describes high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups. Over the past three decades, social scientists have found that minority individuals suffer from mental and physical health disparities compared to their peers in majority groups. This research has focused primarily on racial and sexual minorities. For example, Black Americans have been found to suffer elevated rates of hypertension compared to whites. One causal explanation for minority health disparities is the social selection hypothesis, which holds that there is something inherent to being in a minority group e. Instead, research suggests that environmental factors explain minority health disparities better than do genetic factors. A second hypothesis regarding the causes of minority health disparities suggests that minority group members face difficult social situations that lead to poor health. Minority stress theory extends the social causation hypothesis by suggesting that social situations do not lead directly to poor health for minority individuals, but that difficult social situations cause stress for minority individuals, which accrues over time, resulting in long-term health deficits. When being applied to sexual and gender minorities, the term minority stress first appeared in the book Minority Stress in Lesbian Women by Virginia Rae Brooks, later known as Winn Kelly Brooks. Minority Stress Theory, as it is currently referenced, was coined by Illan Meyer in his research study " Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Meyer's version of minority stress theory distinguishes between distal and proximal stress processes. Proximal stress processes are internal, and are often the byproduct of distal stressors; they include concealment of one's minority identity, vigilance and anxiety about prejudice, and negative feelings about one's own minority group.

Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 40, Certainly, when the individual is a member of a stigmatized minority group, the disharmony between the individual and the dominant culture can be onerous and the resultant stress significant Allison, ; Clark minority stress model meyer al.

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Minority stress refers to a conceptual model that describes stressors embedded in the social position of sexual minority individuals as causes of health-related conditions, such as mental disorders, psychological distress, physical disorders, health behaviors e. The minority stress model suggests that because of stigma, prejudice, and discrimination, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people experience more stress than do heterosexuals and that this stress can lead to mental and physical disorders. This chapter begins with a brief overview of the minority stress model. It then discusses the domains of health and well-being that are affected by minority stressors, including mental health, physical health, health behaviors, and well-being. Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases.

Minority stress model meyer

Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LGBT older adults comprise a unique and growing subset of the aging population. The historical context in which they came of age was imbued with victimization and discrimination. These experiences are subjectively stressful and collectively known as minority stress.

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New York: Sage. Coming out: Similarities and differences for lesbians and gay men. Communities that do not have access to adequate resources or are dominated by risk factors are unlikely to promote resilience in the individuals who are connected with them Meyer, It is important, therefore, to interpret results of meta-analyses with caution and a critical perspective Shapiro, Archives of Sexual Behavior. Heterosexual bias in the identity self-portraits of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. Circumstances in the environment lead to exposure to stressors, including general stressors, such as a job loss or death of an intimate box c , and minority stressors unique to minority group members, such as discrimination in employment box d. This information has been used by law enforcement, policymakers, and social organizations to target and minimize the occurrence of distal stressors and, thus, to improve minority health on a large scale. Whether gay men have higher prevalence of suicidal behavior has also been debated in recent years. Within-group studies have attempted to address questions about causes of mental distress and disorder by assessing variability in predictors of mental health outcomes among LGB people.

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The moderator—mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Allport described vigilance as one of the traits that targets of prejudice develop in defensive coping. Nevertheless, if she is perceived as a lesbian by others, she may suffer from stressors associated with prejudice toward LGB people e. Studies demonstrated that social stressors are associated with mental health outcomes in LGB people, supporting formulations of minority stress. Even if the deceased person was gay, postmortem autopsies are likely to underestimate his or her homosexuality because homosexuality is easily concealable and often is concealed. The nature of prejudice. To the extent that social stress causes psychiatric disorder, the excess in risk exposure would lead to excess in morbidity Dohrenwend, S2CID Discrimination and health. Suicide and sexual orientation: A critical summary of recent research and directions for future research. Although our examination of identity-based stigma in specific contexts is consistent with recommendations for quantitative intersectional research e. First, Begg noted that publication bias is more of a concern in instances in which numerous small studies are being conducted. Minority stress and physical health among sexual minority individuals. These studies showed that LGB people engage in identity disclosure and concealment strategies that address fear of discrimination on one hand and a need for self-integrity on the other.