Effects of Online Heterosexist Experiences on Physical and Mental Health in Sexual Minorities: An Examination of the Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms

Abstract

Cyber violence has emerged as a new source of minority stress over the past decade. Due to the anonymous and unrestrictive nature of the internet, cyber violence is even more blatant and pervasive than in person violence for sexual minority individuals. The present study aimed to examine whether and how online and offline experiences of heterosexism are related to physical and mental health. A total of 941 sexual minority individuals participated in a community-based online survey study. The findings indicated that online heterosexist experiences explained variance in physical and mental health, beyond the contribution of offline heterosexist experiences. Among sexual minority young adults, the effect of online heterosexist experiences on mental health was stronger than that of offline heterosexist experiences, whereas the association between online heterosexist experiences and health problems was not observed in the adult sample. The results of mediation analysis showed that heterosexist experiences were related to heightened expectations of rejection, which, in turn, were related to poor physical and mental health. The association of heterosexist experiences and mental health was also mediated by negative affect. Given the detrimental effect of online heterosexist experiences, effective interventions are needed to combat cyber violence motivated by sexual orientation and enhance the coping and confrontation strategies in response to harmful online content.

Differentiation of self, proximal minority stress, and life satisfaction among sexual minorities: Intrapersonal and interpersonal pathways to life satisfaction.

“…Majority of the participants identified as lesbian or gay (72.6%), followed by bisexual or pansexual (21.0%), and questioning, queer, asexual, or other (6.4%). The distribution of sexual orientation in the current sample was comparable to that of previous studies of sexual minorities in Hong Kong (Chan, 2021; Suen et al, 2020). Around 63.9% reported community college or university as their highest level of education, followed by secondary school or below (19.2%), and master’s degree or above (16.9%).…”

LGBTQ+ Stigma and Health Effects: A Systematic Review of the Global Literature

“…The themes included general physical health, self-harm, digestion, physical and sexual violence, and fear during physical health exams (pap smears, breast exams, misdiagnoses, etc.). Studies frequently found harmful effects on health caused by stigma either through qualitative calculations or qualitative collections on the state of participants' physical health or experiences with healthcare appointments (Chan, 2022;English et al, 2022;Ghabrial, 2017;Gyamerah et al, 2020;Dsouza et al, 2023;Logie et al, 2019;Milner & McNally, 2020;Paine, 2021;Wolfe et al, 2022). The most common theme was stigma causing anxiety among LGBTQ+ individuals, which led them to avoid healthcare and tend to their health concerns (this theme will be mirrored in the healthcare services findings as well, proving to be significant with regards to LGBTQ+ health conditions).…”

“…Sexuality discrimination was included in 17 articles. Data ranged from simply acknowledging the discrimination that participants faced (Bogart et al, 2020;DiGuiseppi et al, 2022;Ghabrial, 2017;Gyamerah et al, 2020;Malta et al, 2020), sexual orientation stigma negatively impacting LGBTQ+ relationships through anticipated rejection, adverse provider reaction, heteronormative care (Chan, 2022;Milner & McNally, 2020;Logie et al, 2019;Schwab et al, 2024;, and findings suggested that nongay or non-cisgender LGBTQ+ people experienced more significant stigma (Powers, 2021;Ronzón-Tirado et al, 2022). Other studies found that anti-LGBTQ+ stigma increased self-stigma (Ching et al, 2022) and a lack of group cohesion among rural LGBTQ+ individuals while facing more significant stigma for their sexuality (Scott, 2022).…”

“…Stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful environment that causes mental health issues in minority communities (Meyer, 2003). Stigma, defined as a negative social attitude or devaluation attached to a characteristic of an individual and is considered mentally, physically, or socially inferior (Scott, 2022), can be exerted in multiple ways: verbal attacks, violence, heterosexism, or inattentive care (Gyamerah et al, 2020;Chan, 2022;Paine, 2021). Interacting with these behaviors negatively affects the health of LGBTQ+ individuals (Balsam et al, 2013;Douglass & Conlin, 2020;Hatzenbuehler, 2009;Meyer, 2003).…”

Cultural consideration for cognitive‐behavioural therapy for sexual minority young people in Chinese societies: Perspectives from practitioners and target users

“…Moreover, studies have suggested that perceived parental attitudes towards marriage, endorsement of filial piety, and the valence of parent‐child relationships might subject Chinese sexual minority people to pressure and identity struggles (Bie & Tang, 2016; Hu & Wang, 2013; Huang et al., 2020; Shao et al., 2018; Sun, Budge, et al., 2020). Although the current generation of Chinese SMYP in Hong Kong and Taiwan have grown up in a relatively accepting environment (Kong, 2019), recent studies show that diverse forms of rejection and victimisation against SMYP remain pervasive in these regions (Chan, 2021; Li et al., 2020). Psychosocial interventions to protect Chinese SMYP's mental health are needed.…”