Out of the closet, but not out of the woods: The longitudinal associations between identity disclosure, discrimination, and nonsuicidal self-injury among sexual minoritized young adults.

Abstract

Sexual minoritized individuals engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) at higher rates than their heterosexual peers. Disclosing one's sexual minoritized identity can put one at risk for experiencing discrimination, which is linked to greater engagement in NSSI. However, discrimination has yet to be tested as a mechanism linking sexual identity disclosure to NSSI. Understanding how sexual identity disclosure impacts NSSI has the potential to inform interventions to reduce sexual orientation disparities in NSSI. To address this gap, the current study examined sexual orientation-based discrimination as a mediator of the longitudinal association between sexual identity disclosure and NSSI among 792 sexual minoritized young adults. Higher levels of disclosure at baseline were associated with greater likelihood of NSSI at 2-month follow-up via greater discrimination at 1-month follow-up, even after controlling for baseline

Sexual orientation disclosure and depression among Thai gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men: The roles of social support and intimate partner violence

“…bodily harm, social disapproval, social avoidance) can heavily influence whether to "come out" depending on the social context in which disclosure ensues [10]. Hence, disclosure processes are likely dependent upon one's social environment and that lower levels of disclosure in certain contexts may be adaptive and resilient [45,46]. By increasing "outness", GBM can elevate self-acceptance, authentic living, and reduce distress, thus strengthening social networks through healthy and more expressive friendships [7,10,47,48].…”

Let’s get real: Identity concealment, burnout, and therapeutic relationship quality among psychology trainees with concealable stigmatized identities.

“…However, this was not the case for the indirect associations between identity concealment and burnout, in which belonging was a significantly stronger statistical mediator than authenticity. It is possible that, compared to belonging, authenticity may be more easily negotiated or less salient of an issue at clinical training settings where self-disclosure of a mental health condition, LGBT+ identity, or another concealable stigmatized identity may result in increased psychosocial burdens (i.e., more frequent experiences of real or anticipated stigma; Samuels et al, 2021; Shepherd et al, 2022; Viehl et al, 2017). It is also possible that trainees tend to think and communicate with others at their clinical training sites in terms of their professional identity and concern for their clients rather than in terms of their personal identity and relationships.…”

“…To improve clinical training outcomes, it may be helpful for trainees to self-disclose their identities to fellow trainees, supervisors, and other work colleagues to operate optimally within practicum and internship sites. However, in more stigmatizing environments where there are fewer opportunities for social acceptance and belonging, identity disclosures may result in more frequent experiences of discrimination and be less adaptive (Giano et al, 2022; Shepherd et al, 2022; van der Star et al, 2021). In these cases, thoughtful consideration of the risks and benefits associated with self-disclosing identities to different people may also help trainees with concealable stigmatized identities be more strategic in their efforts to increase social support and minimize the negative effects of discrimination experienced at clinical training sites.…”

An examination of theory-based suicidal ideation risk factors in college students with multiple marginalized identities.

“…Various manifestations of prejudice, stigma, and discrimination pervade the fabric of institutions in the United States, creating identity-based challenges for diverse emerging adults across a variety of settings (Brooks et al, 2020; Shepherd et al, 2022). For example, research suggests that heterosexism, cissexism, racism, and sizeism in schools, health care, and everyday life all threaten health and generate health disparities (Cobbinah & Lewis, 2018; Pachankis et al, 2022; Puhl & Heuer, 2010; Puhl et al, 2021).…”