PL18\u2005Minority stress and the health of LGBT populations

Abstract

Minority stress theory describes how prejudice and stigma against LGBTQ people leads excess stress--both institutional and interpersonal--and, in turn, to adverse health outcomes. Social changes over the past 70 years in the United States have led to many changes in law and social attitudes toward LGBTQ people. In this presentation I will examine the impact of minority stress historically and today. I will report on results from two innovative U.S. national probability samples--Generations and TransPop--of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and other sexual minorities (www.generationsstudy.com) and transgender adults (www.transpop.org). These studies cover topics related to identity and coming out, gender transition, exposure to chronic stress, life events, and everyday discrimination, and mental and physical health outcomes. We also examine current level of affiliation of LGBTQ people with the LGBTQ community--something that has been a key feature for delivering services and public health information to LGBTQ people at least since the 1980s. Results show that while we see many positive changes in society and, especially legal protections in the United States, these changes have not resulted in corresponding marked reduction in the experience of minority stress among LGBTQ people and have not reduced markers of poor health such as depression and suicidality. I will discuss the significance of these findings for public policy and future research in LGBTQ populations.