Symposium 129 - Buffers Against Self-injurious Behaviors in Individuals with Sexual and Gender Minority Identities

Sunday, November 19, 2023

8:30 AM – 10:00 AM PST

Location: Skykomish (604), Level 6

CE: 1.5

Keywords: LGBTQ+, Suicide, Self-Injury
Level of Familiarity: Basic to Moderate
Recommended Readings: Meyer I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674, Horwitz, A. G., Berona, J., Busby, D. R., Eisenberg, D., Zheng, K., Pistorello, J., Albucher, R., Coryell, W., Favorite, T., Walloch, J. C., & King, C. A. (2020). Variation in Suicide Risk among Subgroups of Sexual and Gender Minority College Students. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, 50(5), 1041–1053. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12637, Pachankis, J. E., Hatzenbuehler, M. L., Rendina, H. J., Safren, S. A., & Parsons, J. T. (2015). LGB-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy for young adult gay and bisexual men: A randomized controlled trial of a transdiagnostic minority stress approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(5), 875–889. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000037, ,

Chair(s)

Carolyn Pepper, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Professor
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming

Discussant(s)

Brian Feinstein, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
N. Chicago, Illinois

Presenter(s)

Jennifer Muehlenkamp, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Professor of Psychology
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Rachael Dumas, M.S. (she/her/hers)

Graduate Student
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
SH

Shelia Hernandez, B.S. (she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky
AR

Ana Rabasco, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Student
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
AR

Alyson Randall, B.A. (they/them/theirs)

Research Coordinator
San Diego State University/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
San Diego, California

Individuals with sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities report higher rates of self-injurious behaviors, including nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts, compared to heterosexual, cis-gendered individuals (Horowitz et al., 2020). Minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) posits that higher levels of stress associated with marginalized identities (i.e., discrimination, stereotyping) lead to poorer mental health outcomes. However, this model also proposes important moderators of this association as minority identity can also lead to greater affiliation, social support, and coping, which buffer the negative effects of minority stress. In this symposium, we will explore various psychological mechanism that may reduce the impact of minority stress, thereby protecting SGM individuals from self-injurious behaviors. These mechanisms could serve to guide cognitive behavioral therapists to enhance resiliency in SGM individuals in the face of minority stress, even as we acknowledge the need for societal changes to reduce these harmful stressors. In this symposium, we will focus on variables that may protect this high-risk group from self-injurious behaviors, thereby cultivating resilience, and possibly even joy.

In our first study, Jennifer Muehlenkamp found that discriminatory experiences in SGM youth predicted suicide attempts through NSSI, but high levels of empowerment moderated these relations. That is, individuals with various SGM identities with high levels of empowerment were protected from the negative mental health effects of minority stress.

We were also interested in exploring these processes in specific SGM subgroups. Among SGM subgroups, bisexual and gender minority individuals appear to have the highest rates of self-injurious behaviors (e.g., Gnan et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2019). In our second study, Rachael Dumas and colleagues found that identity affirmation in bisexual individuals does not affect levels of perceived burdensomeness (PB) but buffers the effects of PB on NSSI. Similarly, gender minority individuals have particularly high rates of self-injurious behavior. In our third study, Ana SSS used longitudinal data to examine gender congruence and acceptance on NSSI. Gender congruence, but not gender acceptance, predicted lower NSSI frequency and versatility at time 2.

Importantly, individuals with multiple marginalized identities are at greater risk for minority stress and suicide (O’Donnell, Meyer, & Schwarts, 2011), yet intersectionality has been a neglected area of exploration. Maria Shelia Hernandez and colleagues investigated resilience variables in adults with minoritized racial and sexual orientation identities and found protective effects for life satisfaction and happiness on suicide attempts.

Finally, Alyson Randal and colleagues examined the effects of a treatment on levels of minority stress. QueerCare was designed to assist sexual and gender minority youth in patient navigation and safety planning to reduce suicide attempts. Preliminary results suggested an initial rise in proximal minority stress, followed by reductions to below baseline levels after 6 months.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:

Describe the effects of minority stress as a risk factor for self-injurious behaviors.
Explain how resiliency factors reduce the risk of self-injurious behaviors for SGM individuals.
Describe the effects of specific buffering variables on bisexual and gender minority individuals.
Describe the effects of specific buffering variables on individuals with both marginalized racial and sexual orientation identities.
Discuss how a treatment intervention can alter proximal minority stress.