Which personality traits predict resilience to systemic discrimination and minority stress among LGBTQ individuals?
Resilience refers to an individual's ability to overcome adversity and maintain wellbeing despite experiencing negative events. Systemic discrimination is the societal, institutional, and structural oppression experienced by marginalized groups. Minority stress theory describes how minority group members experience greater levels of stress due to prejudice and discrimination. Research has shown that certain personality traits can help individuals cope with adversity and become more resilient. This article will explore which personality traits may be protective against systemic discrimination and minority stress for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) individuals.
The concept of resilience has gained prominence as researchers have sought to understand why some people are able to thrive despite adverse circumstances while others struggle. Resilience has been described as "the process of adapting well in the face of adversity" (Masten, 2014). Systemic discrimination and minority stress can take a toll on mental health, but there are ways that individuals can develop skills and strategies to cope with these experiences. Individual differences in personality may play a role in whether or not someone is resilient to systemic discrimination and minority stress.
Some personality traits that have been associated with resilience include optimism, self-esteem, social support, emotion regulation, and coping mechanisms. Optimism involves expecting positive outcomes and being hopeful in the face of adversity. Self-esteem refers to an individual's overall sense of worthiness and self-acceptance. Social support refers to having strong relationships with family, friends, and community. Emotion regulation involves managing emotions effectively by recognizing and expressing them appropriately. Coping mechanisms involve using effective problem-solving strategies to manage challenges.
Research has found that LGBTQ individuals who demonstrate higher levels of optimism tend to experience greater psychological resilience (Kamenov et al., 2017).
One study found that higher levels of positive thinking were related to lower levels of depressive symptoms among sexual minorities (Cohen & Mermelstein, 2008). Similarly, another study showed that optimism was associated with better coping strategies for dealing with stigma (Hatzenbuehler et al., 2016).
Self-esteem has been linked to psychological wellbeing among sexual minorities (Pachankis, 2019). Higher self-esteem was associated with less anxiety and depression among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer individuals (Dubofsky et al., 2013).
Social support has also been found to be protective against stress and adversity for LGBTQ individuals (Grov & Parrott, 2014).
Emotion regulation is another important factor in resilience. One study found that LGBTQ individuals who reported more emotion regulation strategies had fewer mental health problems compared to those who did not use such strategies (Ryan et al., 2015). Another study showed that emotional expression was positively related to resilience for transgender individuals (Salgado et al., 2019). Coping mechanisms are also essential for managing systemic discrimination and minority stress. Avoidance coping, active coping, and problem-focused coping have all been linked to greater psychological resilience (Kamenov et al., 2017).
One study found that transgender individuals who used adaptive coping styles, including seeking social support and developing positive attitudes towards themselves, experienced better psychological adjustment than those who used maladaptive coping strategies (Berg et al., 2016).
Certain personality traits may predict resilience to systemic discrimination and minority stress among LGBTQ individuals. Optimism, self-esteem, social support, emotion regulation, and coping mechanisms can help individuals cope with challenges and maintain wellbeing despite negative experiences. Research has shown that these factors are associated with better outcomes for sexual minorities, suggesting that they may be protective against the effects of prejudice and discrimination. Understanding these factors can inform interventions to promote resilience among LGBTQ individuals experiencing adversity.
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Which personality traits predict resilience to systemic discrimination and minority stress among LGBTQ individuals?
Researchers have found that personality factors such as self-esteem, optimism, social support, emotional regulation, and resiliency can help protect individuals from negative effects of marginalization and minority stress (Yue et al. , 2018). Studies suggest that individuals who possess these characteristics tend to cope with adverse experiences more effectively, which may buffer them against the potential harmful impacts of discrimination on mental health outcomes (Marcus et al.