2025/12/11 by Joshua G. Parmenter, Alejandro Vázquez, Roberto L. Abreu · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Health disparities and outcomes #Mental Health Research Topics #Resilience and Mental Health
paper · doi:10.1080/09515070.2025.2599539
openalex created_date 2025/12/11 · openalex publication_date 2025/12/11 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people are at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes, urging researchers to identify the complex interplay between factors that contribute to LGBTQ+ mental health disparities. The current literature utilizes latent conceptualizations and methodologies limiting our understanding of how different stressors and resilience factors interact and are associated with one another. The current study utilized network theory and associated statistical analyses to capture the complex and interconnected nature of proximal minority stressors and identity resilience factors. Using a sample of 620 (Mage = 36.04, SD = 13.71) LGBTQ+ individuals, we conducted network analyses and network invariance tests to see how proximal minority stressors and identity resilience factors are associated with one another and how such networks may vary across clinical-status (i.e. depression, anxiety) and ethnoracial identity (i.e. BIPOC or White). Findings suggest unique clusters of proximal minority stressors and identity resilience factors: Distressing Identity Integration and Anticipated Rejection, Identity Empowerment, Internalized Stigma, Concealment Motivation, and Identity Uncertainty. Such networks of proximal minority stressors and identity resilience factors co-occur and interact to shape individual experiences. While our findings did not find network differences across clinical-status, there were small differences across White and BIPOC LGBTQ+ participants. Our study posits that proximal minority stressors and identity resilience factors are complex and interconnected phenomena that are not captured in current latent measurement techniques. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.