Differences in Discrimination and Mental Health Outcomes Between Sexual Minority and Majority Individuals

The potential harmful effects of discrimination on sexual minority individuals have been related to many negative mental health outcomes. Much of the previous research has found that sexual minorities experience higher rates of psychological problems than sexual majorities (Faulkner & Cranston, 1998; Russell & Joyner, 2001). This study examined how discrimination based on sexual orientation is related to one’s mental health. It focused on how discrimination based on sexual orientation differed for those who are a sexual minority (any sexual orientation identification that is not heterosexual) as compared to those who are a sexual majority (anyone that identifies as heterosexual). The participants for this study, (N = 119) were classified into two groups. Heterosexual participants identified as heterosexual (n = 73) and non-heterosexual participants identified as a sexual minority (n = 46). Sexual minority participants reported higher levels of discrimination and lower self-esteem than the sexual majority participants. Participants who identified as sexual minorities also reported lower levels of depression than sexual majority participants. There was no significant difference between the participants on attachment and social anxiety. Limitations and future implications are discussed. DIFFERENCES IN DISCRIMINATION 4 Mental Health Differences in Sexual Minorities and Sexual Majorities Researchers have been studying the relationships between the different kinds of discrimination can have on an individual’s mental and physical health for many years. Most studies have found a connection between discrimination and adverse health outcomes. Racism, sexism, and heterosexism are some types of discrimination associated with negative mental health outcomes. Discrimination of racial minorities has been widely researched. Most studies researching racism and mental health outcomes find that people who self-report facing discrimination are more likely to have substance abuse, depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety than those with no perceived discrimination in Asian immigrants (Williams, Neighbors, & Jackson, 2003). Gee, Ryan, Laflamme, and Holt (2007) found that consistent, regular discrimination was a predictor of negative mental health, finding sporadic and infrequent discrimination in Asian immigrants. Another study found that if African Americans perceive an event as racist, sudden, and negative, they can exhibit symptoms of PTSD (Carter, 2007). Fryberg, Markus, Oyserman, and Stone (2008) did a study with Native Americans examining the outcomes associated with discrimination. They found that when Native Americans viewed Native-theme mascots, a form of racism, that they had higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem than those who did not view the mascots. Cohen, Kessler, and Gordon (1995) discuss how the social stress theory can explain why racial discrimination can be so harmful. The theory suggests that discriminatory social events can become stressful when individuals view a circumstance as threatening. Also, racial discrimination can be experienced as an act of violence or assault on one’s sense of self, which is similar to other traumatic experiences (Bryant-Davis & Ocampo, 2005; Scurfield & Mackey, 2001). Carlson (1997) describes events that are psychologically and emotionally threatening to DIFFERENCES IN DISCRIMINATION 5 an individual, and are also physically and/or life threatening, have the potential to produce traumatic stress. Based on those criteria, it is theorized that racial discrimination can be traumatic. Unfortunately, racism is a common form of discrimination and can elicit negative health outcomes for those experiencing it. The negative impact of sexism is another widely researched topic. Research has shown a positive relationship between perceived sexism and women’s psychological stress (Moradi & Funderburk, 2006). The frequency of perceived sexism is related to a wide range of symptoms in women including: depressive, somatic symptoms, and overall distress greater than those due to everyday life events (Landrine, Klonoff, Gibbs, Manning, & Lund, 1995). Klonoff, Landrine, and Campbell (2000) found that women who reported having a low number of sexist events had the same psychological symptomology as men. But, women who reported experiencing a great number of sexist events had higher levels of depressive, anxious, and somatic symptoms than men. Heterosexism is a topic that has recently been attracting a lot of attention. There is less research on the negative impact of heterosexism as compared to research on racism or sexism. Some research suggests that experiencing heterosexism as a sexual minority individual (i.e.: lesbian, gay, bisexual), is more harmful than sexism or racism (Szymanski, 2005) for several reasons. First, Hillier and Harrison (2004) suggest that people who are a racial minority most likely share their minority status with their parents and family who are able to affirm their minority identity. Family is an important source of social support because they can commonly share in the minority background (Ueno, 2005). This is almost never the case for people of sexual minorities. Even if the parents are supportive of their child, they are not able to relate to and affirm the child’s minority status in the same way they could for other marginalized social