Mental health of sexual minorities: Incorporating social processes into a psychological model

Studies have shown that lesbian, gay and bisexual people
are more likely to experience mental health issues than
heterosexuals, including anxiety and depression (King,
2008). Research identifying factors contributing to this
vulnerability could help us develop interventions to reduce
distress in this group. Consistent with cognitive theories
(e.g. Beck, 1979), research suggests that core negative
beliefs about the self contribute to mental health issues
among sexual minorities. In particular, low self-esteem
may be implicated, as sexual minorities tend to have lower
self-esteem than heterosexuals (Bridge et al., 2019). It is
also thought that negative core beliefs about others
contribute to mental health issues. However, little research
has considered sexual minority individuals' beliefs about
others, and how these beliefs affect mental health. This
project will address these gaps by incorporating theories
from social sciences with psychological models of mental
health issues. Interviews will be conducted with sexual
minority people to investigate the content of their beliefs
about others and how they relate to social experiences. A
self-report measure will be developed to assess beliefs
about others, which will be used to compare beliefs
between heterosexual people and sexual minorities, and to
investigate how beliefs associate with experiences of
stigma. Finally, an intervention for sexual minorities aiming
to address such negative beliefs will be developed and
piloted.