Sexual Minority Stress, Psychosocial Resources, and Health Across Birth Cohorts in Racial/Ethnic Communities

• In Event: Medical Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 11. Sexuality and Sexual Health

Abstract

ABSTRACT
This study examines whether the sexual minority stress process within racial/ethnic communities is cohort-durable or cohort-contingent. Integrating minority stress theory with the life course perspective, I assess whether the structure and magnitude of stress exposure, stress proliferation, and stress vulnerability pathways differ across birth cohorts. Using national data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project (N = 4,332), I estimate cohort-specific and pooled models linking racial/ethnic community homophobia and sexual identity–related discomfort to psychological well-being and self-rated health. Results indicate that the distal-to-proximal stress architecture operates across cohorts, supporting a durable stress process. At the same time, the magnitude of stress–health associations and the moderating role of psychosocial resources vary across cohorts, indicating historically contingent dynamics. Together, these findings suggest that minority stress within racial/ethnic communities reflects a structurally durable process whose strength and conditional operation are shaped by sociohistorical timing.

Author

• Philip J. Pettis, Michigan State University