Extensive evidence shows that lesbian and gay (LG) people suffer disproportionally more from mental health disorders than heterosexual individuals due to their exposure to stressors associated with LG people’s minority position in society (i.e., minority stress). At the same time, LG people are not powerless against minority stress. Many LG people use their social identity as a coping strategy with the degree to which they connect or detach themselves from the LGBTQ+ community. However, studies have narrowly focused on the adverse health outcomes of minority stress rather than how LG people cope with it. The present study examines whether the relationship between minority stress and mental health varies due to the degree to which LG people connect or separate from the LGBTQ+ community. We will also explore if cultural orientations (i.e., self-construal) and perceptions of intergroup relations (i.e., legitimacy, stability, and permeability concerning the heterosexual outgroup) factor in LG people’s inclination for either identity coping strategy. We collected a sample of LG people (n = 250) living in the United Kingdom, where we asked them to fill in an online survey. The study is currently ongoing; however, we will present the preliminary results of our analysis. We expect individual and collective strategies to mediate the relationship between minority stress and mental health, with group resources being more health-enhancing. We also foresee interdependent self-construal and perceived legitimacy, stability, and permeability to moderate the association between minority stress and group coping, drawing LG people towards their LGBTQ+ ingroup.

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minority stress,mental health,LGBTQ+,culture,social identity