Minority Stress, Mental Health, and Religious Coping among Sexual Minority Adults

Danielsen Institute Research Director, Steven J. Sandage, and researcher Eugene Hall recently collaborated on a study led by researchers at Saint Louis University. This project investigated minority stress, mental health, and religious coping dynamics among sexual minority adults from religious families. Look for the full article in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Systemic Therapy. The team probed several important intersecting dynamics including: (a) the complexities of religious coping for sexual minorities, particularly in religious contexts that are rejecting, (b) the power of family and other relational dynamics to interact with experiences of the sacred and minority stress, (c) the under-rated role of siblings in relation to this set of issues, and (d) the potential value of spiritual seeking for reducing stigma and rejection found in prior religious contexts. Clinical implications were briefly summarized at the end. Below is the citation and abstract.

Heiden-Rootes, K.M., Coburn, K.O., Sandage, S.J., & Hall, E.L. (in press). Minority stress and mental health for sexual minority adults from religious families: The role of religious coping. International Journal of Systemic Therapy.

Abstract 

A majority of sexual minority (SM; lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) adults identify as religious and use religious coping strategies for dealing with life’s stressors. SM people report experiencing unique minority stressors of interpersonal rejection in family and religious settings as a product of religious doctrine that rejects same-sex relationships and attraction; however, the usefulness of religious coping strategies for handling minority stressors for improving the mental health for SM people is still unknown given mixed findings in previous studies. In addition, locating particular measures of religiously-based minority stress may aid in identifying key factors effecting mental health. This study utilized quantitative data from a web-based survey to explore the relationships between religious coping, interpersonal religious discontent, minority stressors of family rejection and internalized stigma, and depressive symptoms of SM adults from religious families (n = 384). Moderation analysis demonstrated the significant interaction of religious coping and interpersonal religious discontent with minority stress factors for exacerbating the influence of greater minority stress on greater depressive symptoms when religious coping and interpersonal religious discontent were higher. In addition, those who left their religious affiliations experienced decreased minority stress and used less religious coping strategies. Implications for family psychotherapy and future research are addressed.