Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Bryan Cochran
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Most gender and sexual minority (GSM) health research focuses on lesbian and gay populations (Bariola, Lyons & Lucke, 2017), while a growing literature base has identified bisexual, or non-exclusively oriented (NO, i.e., those who identify with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual or homosexual), individuals' unique experiences and health concerns (Paul et al., 2014). Minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) posits that GSM individuals experience unique daily stressors due to their socially-stigmatized identities, and that cumulative higher stress load precipitates health disparities. Binegative minority stress (BNMS) may be considered a type of minority stress specific to NO individuals, contributing to cumulative stress loads (Yost & Thomas, 2012). This stress can be divided, in terms of Minority Stress Theory, into proximal stress--internalized reactions to stress such as expectations of rejection and concealment, and distal stress--victimization and discrimination coming from outside of the individual. Thus, the terms binegative proximal minority stress (BPMS) and binegative distal minority stress (BDMS) are utilized in the current study.
Distress is related to higher levels of cannabis use among SM individuals (Bränström & Pachankis, 2018). Thus, BNMS may explain harmful cannabis use among NO individuals. Interventions like self-compassion may moderate the negative psychological impacts of minority stress (Vigna, Poehlmann-Tynan, & Koenig 2018), which may reduce harmful cannabis use. Therefore, the aims of this study are to explore the relationships between BNMS and cannabis misuse, examining self-compassion (SC) as a moderator.
432 women participated in an online survey. We conducted a hierarchical linear regression analysis to examine the relationships between binegative proximal minority stress (BPMS) and binegative distal minority stress (BDMS), SC, and disordered cannabis use (CUD). We entered age, income, and recovery status into the first block, BDMS, BPMS, and SC into the second block, and the interaction between BDMS and SC into the third block of the equation. Covariates did not account for variance in CUD (p = 0.883); however, BDMS was positively related to CUD (B = 0.034, p = 0.004) and accounted for 5.7% of the variance in CUD. BPMS (p = 0.119) and SCS (p = 0.242) were not related to CUD. SC did not moderate the relationship between BDMS and CUD (p = 0.33).
Importantly, BNMS predicted hazardous cannabis use, in line with previous research on minority stress and substance abuse. Specifically, this relationship was driven by distal stress, such as experiences of discrimination and victimization. More research is needed to assess whether there could be an impact of trait and/or practiced self-compassion on the relationship between minority stress and cannabis use among GSM.
Category
Social Sciences
Poster PDF
Minority Stress, Cannabis Use, and Self-Compassion in Sexual Minority Women
Most gender and sexual minority (GSM) health research focuses on lesbian and gay populations (Bariola, Lyons & Lucke, 2017), while a growing literature base has identified bisexual, or non-exclusively oriented (NO, i.e., those who identify with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual or homosexual), individuals' unique experiences and health concerns (Paul et al., 2014). Minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) posits that GSM individuals experience unique daily stressors due to their socially-stigmatized identities, and that cumulative higher stress load precipitates health disparities. Binegative minority stress (BNMS) may be considered a type of minority stress specific to NO individuals, contributing to cumulative stress loads (Yost & Thomas, 2012). This stress can be divided, in terms of Minority Stress Theory, into proximal stress--internalized reactions to stress such as expectations of rejection and concealment, and distal stress--victimization and discrimination coming from outside of the individual. Thus, the terms binegative proximal minority stress (BPMS) and binegative distal minority stress (BDMS) are utilized in the current study.
Distress is related to higher levels of cannabis use among SM individuals (Bränström & Pachankis, 2018). Thus, BNMS may explain harmful cannabis use among NO individuals. Interventions like self-compassion may moderate the negative psychological impacts of minority stress (Vigna, Poehlmann-Tynan, & Koenig 2018), which may reduce harmful cannabis use. Therefore, the aims of this study are to explore the relationships between BNMS and cannabis misuse, examining self-compassion (SC) as a moderator.
432 women participated in an online survey. We conducted a hierarchical linear regression analysis to examine the relationships between binegative proximal minority stress (BPMS) and binegative distal minority stress (BDMS), SC, and disordered cannabis use (CUD). We entered age, income, and recovery status into the first block, BDMS, BPMS, and SC into the second block, and the interaction between BDMS and SC into the third block of the equation. Covariates did not account for variance in CUD (p = 0.883); however, BDMS was positively related to CUD (B = 0.034, p = 0.004) and accounted for 5.7% of the variance in CUD. BPMS (p = 0.119) and SCS (p = 0.242) were not related to CUD. SC did not moderate the relationship between BDMS and CUD (p = 0.33).
Importantly, BNMS predicted hazardous cannabis use, in line with previous research on minority stress and substance abuse. Specifically, this relationship was driven by distal stress, such as experiences of discrimination and victimization. More research is needed to assess whether there could be an impact of trait and/or practiced self-compassion on the relationship between minority stress and cannabis use among GSM.