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Abstract
Researchers have established that experiences with gay-related stressors such as discrimination, perceived stigma and internalized homophobia, are associated with poorer mental health. Little is known about individual differences in this association. Two studies were conducted to examine the role that gay identity might have in affecting exposure and reactivity to gay-related stressors. Central to this research was a new conceptualization of gay identity that accounts for connections to minority-gay community and also to majority-heterosexual community. In Study 1, participants (279 gay men, 214 lesbians) completed an online survey with questions regarding mental health, exposure to gay-related stressors and identification with gay and heterosexual communities. In Study 2, participants (99 gay men) took part in a daily experience study in which they completed measures of gay-related stress exposure and mental health at the end of each day for 14 days. Data from both studies showed that increased exposure to gay-related stressors was associated with poorer mental health. Identifying with both gay and heterosexual communities was associated with better mental health. This was true when mental health was assessed at a single time point and across 14 days. The relationship between identity and stressors was less clear. In Study 1, gay and heterosexual identities were related to stress exposure, demonstrating different patterns of associations depending on the stressor in question. In Study 2, gay and heterosexual identities were not related to stress exposure. This may be an artifact of the low frequency of gay-related stressors among the men in Study 2, or it may indicate that identity plays a limited role in daily stress exposure. Results from Study 2 also showed that gay and heterosexual identities moderate links between stress exposure and mental health. Together these two studies demonstrate that identity plays an important role in the stress process for sexual minorities.
