Discrimination and Mental Health: Mediation Effects of Coping Strategies in LGB and Heterosexual Youth

Abstract

Previous studies reveal that the negative effect of discrimination on mental health is particularly pernicious among stigmatised minorities. However, research also points out the importance of protection mechanisms that may buffer its effect. This study aimed to explore the relationships between mental health, perceived discrimination, and coping strategies of positive reframing and self-blame in LGB and heterosexual youth. Data were collected through a paper and pencil and an online survey administered to 195 Portuguese adolescents and young adults. The survey covered mental health (Mental Health Inventory-5), discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale), and coping strategies (Brief COPE). Of the sample, 73.3% were women and 51.8% self-identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). Analyses of variance show that LGB participants have experienced more discrimination than their heterosexual counterparts. There was no difference in the levels of mental health and the use of self-blame or positive reframing coping strategies. Regression analyses reveal that perceived discrimination and self-blame contribute to the worsening of the mental health of LGB and heterosexual youth. Positive reframing coping was a predictor of mental health only in LGB participants, a strategy that contributed to their resilience in the face of discrimination. Additionally, only LGB participants displayed an indirect effect of discrimination on mental health, partially mediated by self-blame coping. Results corroborate previous findings that suggest that perceived discrimination has a more deleterious effect for members of a minority group and support the psychological mediation framework regarding the effect of discrimination on mental health in stigmatised groups.

Behavior without beliefs: Profiles of heteronormativity and well-being among heterosexual and non-heterosexual university students in Chile

“…Moreover, Habarth et al (2019b) found that non-heterosexual women who endorsed normative behaviorcharacteristics found in Profile 3-reported lower psychological well-being (i.e., autonomy, growth, sense of purpose). Our findings do not support this evidence, but they align with a study with Portuguese high school students which showed that LGB and heterosexual participants had similar mental health levels (Fonseca de Freitas et al, 2021). Hence, besides heteronormative attitudes, factors related to culture, life period, and the COVID-19 pandemic may be operating in these mixed results regarding mental health.…”

Emotional Dependency And Coping Strategies In Dating Relationships In Peruvian University Students

“…The demanding response to the partner is associated with coping strategies, because they are a set of skills to interact and resolve the various psychological or social situations of an internal or external nature, which are perceived as a threat to the subject, contain a cognitive and/or behavioral component (Barbé, 2023;Palet, 2023). Therefore, inadequate coping strategies explain why some young university students remain in violent relationships and involved in an affective-dependent style, affecting their psychological well-being and integrity (Momeñe et al, 2021;Villa & Gonzalez, 2019;Fonseca et al, 2021).…”

It’s Complicated: Everyday Discrimination Across the Transition Into Adulthood

“…People may attribute unfair treatment in their daily lives for a variety of reasons including but not limited to their weight or other aspects of physical appearance (Sutin et al, 2016); racialized group membership and ethnicity (Seaton et al, 2010; Unger, 2018); gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation (Wyman Battalen et al, 2021; Fonseca de Freitas et al, 2021); and socio-economic status (Jokela & Fuller-Rowell, 2022Jokela & Fuller‐Rowell, 2022). Yet, a person experiences these multiple social statuses and accompanying discrimination related to these statuses at the same time, not separately (Grollman, 2012).…”