Concealment of gender and sexual identity constitutes a key proximal stress process in the minority stress model, and disparate literature indicates the presence of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of concealment. There may be utility in testing these components as predictors of health disparities for gender and sexual minority (GSM) individuals. We hypothesized that greater engagement in concealment across these 3 components would be associated with worse physical health, more severe depression and anxiety, and higher rates of substance use among GSM individuals. Also, we hypothesized that each concealment component would predict depression and anxiety symptoms, whereas behavioral concealment, but neither cognitive nor affective concealment, would be associated with substance use. GSM adults (N = 640, Mage = 24.36, SD = 7.51) were recruited nationally. A measure was developed to assess the 3 components of concealment, and participants completed this measure as well as queries of current physical health, current depression and anxiety symptoms, and recent alcohol and drug use via an online survey. Multivariate hierarchical regressions demonstrated no relationship between concealment and physical health; however, concealment positively predicted depression, anxiety, and substance use symptoms. Varied relationships between the components of concealment and the response variables were found, including relationships between internalizing–externalizing symptoms and behaviors. Concealment and its constitutive components relate to a broad range of mental health symptomatology and behaviors among GSM individuals. This study is particularly timely in the current political context, as individuals in this sample appear to be more likely to conceal because of the increasing tenuousness of GSM rights.

Utilizing sensitive methodology for gender and sexual minority (GSM) individuals is important across all psychological fields. This tutorial provides tangible recommendations for non-experts, offers a “real-world” example of issues that might arise, informs researchers how to make theoretically/methodologically rigorous decisions when (not if) they arise, and discusses the collective impact of GSM identities on the central research question. It presents exploratory comparisons on acute affective responding between community-recruited adolescent (aged 15–17 years) and emerging adult (aged 18–25 years) cisgender and gender minority (GM) participants exposed to simulated peer rejection. These data provide points of divergence (e.g., GM participants had higher negative affect at the first assessment) and convergence (e.g., all participants reported greater negative affect post-rejection) that have implications for future research.

The presence of a Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) reduces risk for sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth across a variety of domains, but little is known about the adult advisor-level variables contributing to these observed benefits. This study explored relationships between advisors' tenure, receipt of professional development, selfefficacy, and social emotional competencies (SECs). Participants (N = 167) completed an online survey measuring their own social-emotional competencies and their perceived self-efficacy as a GSA advisor. As hypothesized, results demonstrated relationships between advisor tenure and self-efficacy and between advisor receipt of professional development and self-efficacy. Further, advisor SEC significantly predicted self-efficacy, and both receipt of professional development and SEC positively predicted perceived self-efficacy, as well. Findings point to opportunities for providing training to GSA advisors, with a focus on SEC to increase their efficacy in working with SGM youth. Implications for school psychologists are discussed.

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