Symposium 28 - From Surviving to Thriving: Overcoming Trauma and Minority Stress in Queer Communities

Friday, November 17, 2023

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM PST

Location: Skagit (603), Level 6

CE: 1.5

Keywords: Trauma, LGBTQ+, Treatment Development
Level of Familiarity: Moderate to Advanced
Recommended Readings: Green, A. E., Price, M. N., & Dorison, S. H. (2022). Cumulative minority stress and suicide risk among LGBTQ youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 69(1–2), 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12553,

Livingston, N.A., Berke, D., Scholl, J. et al. Addressing Diversity in PTSD Treatment: Clinical Considerations and Guidance for the Treatment of PTSD in LGBTQ Populations.Curr Treat Options Psych 7, 53–69 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-020-00204-0

Veldhuis, C. B., Juster, R., Corbeil, T. E., Wall, M. M., Poteat, T., & Hughes, T. L. (2022). Testing whether the combination of victimization and minority stressors exacerbate PTSD risks in a diverse community sample of sexual minority women. Psychology and Sexuality, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2022.2106147

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Chair(s)

DE

Donovan Edward, B.S. (All Pronouns)

Graduate Student
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Guyton, Georgia
VH

Vaughan Hooper, M.S. (she/her/hers)

Research Coordinator
National Center for PTSD
Menlo Park, California

Discussant(s)

AG

Adam Gonzalez, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

Director of Behavioral Health, Founding Director of the Mind-Body Clinical Research Center, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York

Presenter(s)

ER

Eve Rosenfeld, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Podstdoctoral Fellow
National Center for PTSD
Menlo Park, California
Danielle Berke, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
Hunter College, City University of New York
Queens, New York
LJ

Laura Jans, M.A. (she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Student
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
AC

Alexis Ceja, B.A. (Any pronouns)

Assistant Clinical Research Coordinator
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California
KH

Kelly Harper, Ph.D. (she/they)

Postdoctoral fellow
National Center for PTSD
Brookline, Massachusetts

Members of LGBTQ+ communities experience minority stress and are at a higher risk of experiencing trauma than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. As such, sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are more likely to experience negative health and mental health outcomes. Current research on trauma and minority stress in LGBTQ+ populations is limited, as this emerging field remains relatively underdeveloped. However, research on this topic is critical as we aim to understand the effects of minority stress and trauma on marginalized communities.

Our symposium will bring together a group of researchers currently contributing to the growing research on minority stress and trauma in SGM communities. Additionally, they are doing so in ways that prioritize the joy and advancement of queer people while filling gaps in the current literature. Presenter 1 will share findings from an ongoing scoping review of the literature surrounding minority stress and trauma in SGM communities. Four thousand nine hundred forty-eight articles will be reviewed to understand the current state of the literature better and identify key intervention components and recommendations for SGM individuals impacted by trauma and minority stress. Presenter 2 will share a study assessing trajectories and mechanisms of risk and resilience among transgender individuals. This study will fill a gap in the literature by providing implications for developing interventions for transgender individuals exposed to traumatic life experiences. Presenter 3 will offer findings from a scoping literature review on mental healthcare needs and experiences in LGBTQ+ people of color. This study found that the mental healthcare system lacks in various areas to serve LGBTQ+ people of color. Additionally, this scoping review identified gaps in the literature and provided recommendations to address these gaps. Presenter 4 will share a study exploring the relationships between minority stress, PTSD symptoms, and Criterion A trauma among SGM people. This study found that minority stress is related to PTSD prevalence even after accounting for Criterion A events. This presenter will also provide recommendations for future substance use interventions for trauma and minority stress-exposed SGM individuals. Presenter 5 will share findings from a randomized control trial comparing peer-led minority stress-informed motivation interviewing and peer-led motivation interviewing-as-usual among sexual minority men with a history of sexual trauma. This study examines minority stress as a mechanism of change in treatment and found that addressing issues of minority stress and stigma in treatment can improve the efficacy of treatment and lead to decreased symptom severity. Finally, our discussant is an expert in the field of SGM research, who has worked closely with communities affected by trauma and minority stress. They will discuss the importance of such research on this topic and the implications of the research presented in the symposium.

It is essential to highlight the advancement of this growing area of study, which aims to address the public health burden posed by minority stress and trauma in SGM communities.

Learning Objectives:

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

Describe the effects of PTSD and Minority Stress specific to sexual and gender minority experiences.
Identify pros and cons of existing evidence-based interventions in meeting the needs of sexual and gender minorities seeking PTSD treatments.
Discuss clinically-significant adaptations of EBT's with specific, actionable items to improve mental healthcare for SGM populations.
Enhance knowledge of sexual and gender minority needs in mental healthcare.
Improve cultural-competency for providing affirmative and inclusive evidence-based care for LGBTQ-serving clinicians.