Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109533

Michael D. Mink, PhD(c), MPA, Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, 220 Stoneridge Drive, Ste 204, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-251-6317, minkm@mailbox.sc.edu

Purpose: To propose a working model of stress in sexual minorities that reflects current knowledge and guides future research in this area. Methods: This study reviewed the current literature on measuring stress in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community. A modified version of the Lazarus Model of Stress and Coping was used to organize constructs, examine interrelationships, and identify holes in the research. Results: Current literature describes five constructs that help explain LGBT stress and coping: gay-related stressors, perceived heterosexism, gay identity, gay resources, and specific health outcomes. Valid measures have been developed for all of these constructs, but how they interrelate remains unaddressed. Applying a simplified version of the Lazarus Model of Stress and Coping to these constructs showed that (1) the constructs of Appraisal and Coping Response have been overlooked in current research and (2) how these constructs affect each other remains unclear. Conclusion: This review suggests four critical questions for future research: (1) What is the nature of Appraisal and Coping Response within the gay stress process? (2) Does perceived heterosexism function as a stressor, stress appraisal, or a mediator between the stress and health outcomes? (3) Does gay-identity development mediate the effects of stress, and if so, through what mechanism? (4) How does the availability of sexual minority resources and social supports alter the effects of gay-related stress on health outcomes?

Learning Objectives: By the end of the presentation, learners will be able to

• Identify validated instruments for measuring important constructs in LGBT stress.
• Describe specific areas in the current literature on LGBT stress that require further research and theoretical development.

Keywords: Stress,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation