Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Stress and Personality Processes in Daily Life

Abstract

The minority stress model for sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) suggests that identity functioning plays a role in the relationship between minority stressors (discrimination, concealment of SGM status) and negative affect. However, there have been few empirical investigations into this model. The present project investigates the role of identity functioning (self-concept clarity and SGM-identity self-esteem) in the relationship between minority stressors and negative affect in daily life. 252 18-25 year-old SGM participants (self-identified through attraction, identity, and/or behavior) completed an 8-day smartphone-based ambulatory assessment protocol consisting of 10 semi-randomly prompted surveys per day about SGM experiences in daily life. Multilevel structural equation modeling in MPlus 8 was used to assess the within-person indirect effect of identity functioning in the minority stress model. Minority stressors were differentially associated with identity functioning and negative affect, such that SGM-based discrimination events were not associated with negative affect through self-concept clarity or SGM-identity self-esteem, concealment was associated with negative affect through self-concept clarity, and disclosure was inversely associated with negative affect through SGM-identity self-esteem. Results suggest that some minority stressors do impact identity functioning in daily life. Specifically, disclosing SGM status may reflect pride and higher SGM-identity esteem but not greater self-knowledge. Concealment of SGM status may create dissonance between sense of self and behavior without necessarily reflecting lower SGM-identity esteem.