Lesbian and gay (LG) people are at a high risk of developing mental health problems due to minority stress. To protect their mental health, many LG people manage their stigmatised sexual identity by engaging or disengaging from the LGBTQ+ community through collective or individual coping strategies. The present study used longitudinal data (N = 403 LG young adults) collected over one year to examine whether the temporal association between minority stress and mental health was mediated by LGBTQ+ identification, social support (i.e., collective coping strategies), and individual mobility (i.e., individual coping strategy). A multilevel parallel mediation model showed that LGBTQ+ identification (within-person effect) and individual mobility (between-person effect) were significant mediators, whereas social support was not. Specifically, higher minority stress among LG people increased their likelihood of either identifying with, or distancing themselves from, the LGTBQ+ community, which in turn was associated with improved mental health. However, the mediation of individual mobility became non-significant after controlling for LG people’s perception of the low status of the LGBTQ+ community as stable (i.e., changeable) and legitimate (i.e., justifiable). The present study contributes to clarifying how and under which conditions collective and individual coping strategies can protect LG people from the adverse effects of minority stress.

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Minority stress,Mental health,Social identity approach,Coping,LGBTQ+ community

• Psychology - Social Sciences