Minority stress and the well-being of sexual minority college students viewed through the lens of a (bio)ecological model of human development

Abstract

<p>Minority stress comes from "the juxtaposition of minority and dominant values and the resultant conflict with the social environment experienced by minority group members" (Meyer, 1995, p. 39). Because minority stress is additive to general stressors that are experienced by all people, stigmatized people must accomplish an adaptation effort above that required of similar others who are not stigmatized. Using Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory of human development as a guiding framework, this study explored the key environments in sexual minority college students' developmental trajectories that contributed to or buffered minority stress(ors). As the results of this study show, the adverse mental health outcomes of minority stress(ors) can lead to psychological distress and suicidality. These outcomes have major implications for sexual minority college students in their persistence toward a four-year degree. This study uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test a hypothesized causal model for contextual factors that contribute to or protect against minority stress for sexual minority college students.</p>