Service Provider Perspectives of Minority Stress among Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People in the UK

Internalized Sexual Stigma and Mental Health Outcomes for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Asian Americans: The Moderating Role of Guilt and Shame

The literature unequivocally demonstrates that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience disproportionate mental health and social wellbeing impacts. Here, we respond to recent calls for research in the field of sexual minority health to better understand why various overlapping and intersecting identities can further drive health disparities. In this paper, we focus on the specific intersections of ethnicity and sexuality for Asian LGB individuals and the role of internalized stigma in driving poorer mental health outcomes for this group. We recruited 148 LGB Asian participants residing in the United States (Mage = 22.82 years, SD = 4.88) to participate in our online cross-sectional survey in which we collected data on their internalized stigma, levels of guilt and shame about their sexuality, and measures of depression, anxiety, and distress. Contrary to our predictions, there were no bivariate relationships between internalized sexual stigma and any of the mental health outcomes. However, a parallel mediation analysis revealed that guilt, but not shame, mediates the relationship between internalized sexual stigma and all mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress) for LGB Asian American individuals. This research highlights the important of exploring additional variables that may exacerbate of protect against poor mental health for individuals with multiple intersecting identities.

A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of "The Quest," A Health and Well-Being Intervention for British-Based Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Gay and Bisexual Men

This article provides an evaluation of a health and well-being workshop-based intervention, "The Quest" for gay and bisexual men from British Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. A quantitative component assessed reported and intended sexual risk, drugs and alcohol use alongside measures of psychological well-being with pre and post-program data collected from 26 men. Fourteen men participated in focus groups that discussed experiences of the intervention. Significant improvements were found on measures of internalized homophobia, self-esteem and self-efficacy but not for health behaviors including safer sex or substance use. Qualitative feedback was generally positive especially around enhanced psychological well-being, identity integration, and enhanced self-awareness. There were some concerns over group size and whether non-BAME gay men were appropriate as facilitators. Theoretically informed, culturally competent interventions can demonstrate significant potential in enhancing the well-being of BAME gay and bisexual men but follow-up data are needed to show longer-term benefits.

Identity Processes and Psychological Wellbeing Upon Recall of a Significant "Coming Out" Experience in Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People

This study focuses on the relations between minority stressors, protective factors and psychological wellbeing among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people. Experimental data based on a sample of 156 showed that participants asked to recall a negative coming out experience to somebody significant reported more identity threat and distress and less positive affect compared to those recalling a neutral coming out experience. In the negative recall condition, the effects of the stressors of discrimination and rejection on the variance of distress through the mediation of identity threat were statistically significant but not in the neutral recall condition and the two conditions statistically significantly differed in regards to the relationship between discrimination and distress. Identity resilience-continuity was associated with less identity threat and distress in the negative recall condition only, while social support was negatively associated and LGB stigma sensitivity was positively associated with distress in both conditions. Degree of outness (operating as a coping strategy) was associated with increased positive affect in both the neutral and negative recall conditions. When recalling a negative coming out experience, LGB people may be more susceptible to distress associated with minority stressors but also capitalize on available coping strategies.

What Are You Worried About? Content and Extent of Worry in Autistic Adults

Autistic adults commonly experience anxiety and worry, although knowledge on how worry presents and the content, extent, and experiences among autistic adults is limited. A convergent parallel mixed-methods approach was used to explore the presentation and experiences of worry in autistic and non-autistic adults. Quantitative surveys were used to compare the content and extent of worry in autistic adults to non-autistic adults, with semi-structured interviews also conducted with autistic adults to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences, impacts and content of worry in autistic adults. Findings indicated that autistic adults demonstrated clinically significant levels of worry which were substantially higher than non-autistic adults. Autistic adults described worry as a cycle of negative thoughts impacting their daily life. Findings indicate that autistic adults may worry more than non-autistic adults, impacting on participation in activities of daily living, sleep, and mental health.

Contesting Sexual Prejudice to Support Sexual Minorities: Views of Chinese Social Workers

Professional development has been recognized as one of the strategies to effectively combat sexual prejudice and negative attitudes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning/queer (LGBQ+) individuals and sexual minorities. Nevertheless, studies related to LGBQ+-inclusive training are rarely found in the Chinese Hong Kong context, where sexual prejudice still prevails without the establishment of antidiscrimination law. Sociocultural considerations, such as religious and parental influences, are obstacles to discussing the reduction of sexual prejudices, both within wider society and social work organizations, without institutional support. This paper aims to understand social workers’ perspectives on prejudice reduction training themes and perceived cultural barriers through qualitative in-depth interviews with 67 social workers. Qualitative thematic analysis yielded the following themes: (1) understanding sexuality; (2) initiating training legitimately; (3) contesting religious and cultural assumptions; (4) resolving value and ethical dilemma; (5) selecting relevant knowledge; (6) implementing diverse training strategies. The study suggests that social workers and service providers need to understand how sexual prejudice is manifested in Hong Kong through unique cultural forces. LGBQ+-inclusive content, addressing updated concepts and prejudice-free language, should be incorporated into the training curriculum. Intergroup contact, professional reflection, and experiential learning are suggested as training strategies (190).