The Psychological Effects of Discriminations in Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals: A Qualitative Analysis

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals experience minority stressors (e.g., rejection, discrimination, and victimization) that may negatively impact their mental health. This study used a mixed-methods approach to identify common themes across minority stress experiences and explore whether reflecting on these themes elicits changes in effect. N = 25 undergraduate students with an SGM identity completed the study for course credit. Participants wrote about an instance of SGM discrimination that they experienced, witnessed, or heard about. Participants self-reported their positive and negative effects before and after writing. Participants’ stories were analyzed qualitatively to identify common themes. Correlations were calculated between story themes and changes in effect. Themes included contextual factors (e.g., whether or not the person was “out” at the time of the experience), types of discrimination experiences (e.g., being called a slur, being rejected), and emotions felt at the time of the minority stress experiences (e.g., guilt, shock). Writing about an experience that occurred when the participant was in the closet (i.e., not out to others about their SGM identity) was associated with an increase in negative affect from baseline to after writing (r=.41, prs=.43-.55, ps<.05). The findings shed light on the types of minority stressors that SGM individuals experience as memorable, salient, and emotionally impactful. Reflecting on minority stressors that occurred while one was in the closet may be highly likely to elicit negative affect, relative to other stressors.