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Mental Health and Well-Being of Sexual and Gender Minority Groups: Risk and Protective Factors

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Interests: gender studies; gender roles; gender and development; LGBTQ parenting; sociology feminist; theory clinical; psychology; gender and science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
Interests: self-efficacy; young adults; psychometrics; motivational psychology; adolescent development; psychology of adolescence; psychological assessment; family studies; lifelong learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite their increasing visibility in many parts of the world, sexual and gender minorities continue to be stigmatized. Minority stress refers to stress that LGBTQ+ individuals experience because of their marginalized identity, including discrimination and prejudice or the internalization of social stigma. Negative associations between minority stress processes and mental health have been widely demonstrated. However, research has elucidated risk rather than protective factors for the well-being of this population. This focus on the association between psychopathology and sexual orientation and gender identity may inadvertently contribute to further stigmatizing LGBTQ+ individuals. In fact, sexual and gender minority individuals may share distinctive protective and positive experiences (e.g., belonging to a community or creating families of choice), which act as buffers against the deleterious effects of social stigma and promote resilience. In this Special Issue, we are looking for papers that go beyond a deficit-based approach, addressing risk and protective factors for the mental health and wellbeing of sexual and gender minority groups in different contexts (e.g., school, work, family, or geographic origin) and throughout the life cycle. The Special Issue is open to both research and review papers. Original studies using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods are welcome.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Healthcare.

Dr. Jorge Gato
Dr. Susana Coimbra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • LGBTQ
  • minority stress
  • protective factors
  • risk factors
  • resilience

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 386 KiB  
Article
Strategies for Coping with Minority Stress among Queer Young Adults: Usage Frequency, Associations with Demographics, and Mental Health
by Yinuo Xu, William J. Hall, McRae Scott, Yutong Gao, Pin-Chen Chiang, Denise Yookong Williams, Ankur Srivastava, Magdelene E. Ramon and Adam R. Englert
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(8), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21081052 (registering DOI) - 10 Aug 2024
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Queer young adults report significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than their heterosexual counterparts, which is linked to sexual minority stress. Therefore, it is important to understand the coping strategies employed by this population to navigate minority stress and how coping strategies [...] Read more.
Queer young adults report significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than their heterosexual counterparts, which is linked to sexual minority stress. Therefore, it is important to understand the coping strategies employed by this population to navigate minority stress and how coping strategies may impact mental health outcomes. Drawing from a U.S. national diverse sample of 387 queer young adults (ages 18–39 years), we analyzed descriptive results of 11 behavioral strategies to cope with minority stress and used ordered logistic and linear regression to examine the following objectives: the frequency of the use of each coping strategy, and the associations between each strategy and demographic characteristics as well as depression and anxiety. Results revealed that avoidance and talking with friends were the most frequently utilized coping strategies, while prayer/religious activities and counseling/psychotherapy/support groups were infrequently used. We examined utilization preferences of coping strategies across demographic factors (e.g., assigned sex at birth and sexual orientation). The use of counseling/psychotherapy/support group was positively associated with mental health symptoms, while exercise and mindfulness/mediation were associated with lower mental health symptoms. Our findings provide insights for mental health researchers and professionals in selecting appropriate coping strategies for queer young adults in prevention and intervention efforts. Full article
14 pages, 842 KiB  
Article
Shame-Based Experiences of Homophobic Bullying and Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassionate Actions
by Daniel Seabra, Jorge Gato, Diogo Carreiras, Nicola Petrocchi and Maria do Céu Salvador
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16866; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416866 - 15 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2315
Abstract
Homophobic experiences with traumatic characteristics related to shame are more frequent among sexual minority (SM) than heterosexual individuals. Concurrently, SM individuals present higher levels of psychopathology and transdiagnostic processes (e.g., shame) than heterosexual individuals. Self-compassion has been identified as a protective mechanism that [...] Read more.
Homophobic experiences with traumatic characteristics related to shame are more frequent among sexual minority (SM) than heterosexual individuals. Concurrently, SM individuals present higher levels of psychopathology and transdiagnostic processes (e.g., shame) than heterosexual individuals. Self-compassion has been identified as a protective mechanism that counteracts the effects of shame. The current study aimed to analyse which components of self-compassion affect mental health and test the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship between feelings of shame in traumatic homophobic bullying experiences (THBEs) and psychopathology indicators (depression, anxiety, and social anxiety symptoms). In this study, 190 Portuguese SM individuals (Mage = 28.3, SD = 7.5) completed self-report measures assessing traumatic experiences, self-compassion, and psychopathology. Data were explored with SPSS and AMOS. Regression analyses showed that internal shame felt during THBE and compassionate actions predicted psychopathology outcomes. Mediation analyses revealed that internal shame during a THBE had a significant indirect effect on all psychopathology outcomes through compassionate actions. In other words, internal shame during a THBE was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and social anxiety, and these relationships were partially mediated by compassionate actions. Our results reinforce the importance of developing compassionate actions towards the self as a possible protective factor for psychopathology among SM individuals. Full article
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Figure 1

Figure 1
<p>The proposed model in which both internal and external shame felt in traumatic homophobic bullying experience indirectly predict mental health indicators (anxiety, depression, and social anxiety symptoms) through both compassionate engagement and actions.</p>
Full article ">Figure 2
<p>The mediation effect of engagement and actions in the relationship between internal shame felt in traumatic homophobic experience and anxiety, depression, and social anxiety symptoms. Standardized path coefficients among variables are presented <span class="html-italic">(n =</span> 186). This figure is simplified. The mediators and dependent variables have associated errors that are not presented. * <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; .05; ** <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; .005; *** <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; .001.</p>
Full article ">
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