Strategies for Coping with Minority Stress among Queer Young Adults: Usage Frequency, Associations with Demographics, and Mental Health.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-

Sexual and Gender Minorities*/psychology ; Sexual and Gender Minorities*/statistics & numerical data ; Adaptation, Psychological* ; Stress, Psychological*/psychology ; Mental Health*; Humans ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Adolescent ; Depression/psychology ; Depression/epidemiology ; Anxiety/psychology ; Anxiety/epidemiology ; United States

Queer young adults report significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than their heterosexual counterparts, which is linked to sexual minority stress. Therefore, it is important to understand the coping strategies employed by this population to navigate minority stress and how coping strategies may impact mental health outcomes. Drawing from a U.S. national diverse sample of 387 queer young adults (ages 18-39 years), we analyzed descriptive results of 11 behavioral strategies to cope with minority stress and used ordered logistic and linear regression to examine the following objectives: the frequency of the use of each coping strategy, and the associations between each strategy and demographic characteristics as well as depression and anxiety. Results revealed that avoidance and talking with friends were the most frequently utilized coping strategies, while prayer/religious activities and counseling/psychotherapy/support groups were infrequently used. We examined utilization preferences of coping strategies across demographic factors (e.g., assigned sex at birth and sexual orientation). The use of counseling/psychotherapy/support group was positively associated with mental health symptoms, while exercise and mindfulness/mediation were associated with lower mental health symptoms. Our findings provide insights for mental health researchers and professionals in selecting appropriate coping strategies for queer young adults in prevention and intervention efforts.

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R21MD012687 National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health

Keywords: anxiety; coping strategies; depression; minority stress; queer young adults

Date Created: 20240829 Date Completed: 20240829 Latest Revision: 20240903

20240903

PMC11354887

10.3390/ijerph21081052

39200662