Minority Stress Predicts Depression in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Emerging Adults via Elevated Diurnal Cortisol

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals report higher levels of stressful interpersonal conflicts with others because of their divergence from heterosexual social norms. In a biopsychosocial model of minority stress, we tested diurnal cortisol slopes and internalized homonegativity (IH) as two potential mechanisms linking experiences of LGB-related stress to depression. The sample consisted of 27 lesbian and bisexual young women and 35 gay and bisexual young men ( N = 62; age, 17–27, M = 21.34 years) from the greater metropolitan area of Montréal, Québec. We predicted that (a) LGB-related stress, IH, and diurnal cortisol slopes would be positively associated with each other and with depression; and (b) flatter diurnal cortisol slopes and/or greater IH would mediate the link between LGB-related stress and depression. LGB-related stress, diurnal cortisol slopes, and IH were positively associated with depression, and mediation analyses showed that diurnal cortisol slopes mediated the link between LGB-related stress and depression. These findings suggest that external stressors associated with being LGB can impact individuals’ physiological coping resources, thus affecting their psychological health.