Stigmatized Minority Groups Research Articles

Toward Culturally Responsive Mentoring of Muslim Research Mentees in the Sciences.

Research experiences are an integral part of training future scientists and fostering diversity in science. Providing culturally responsive research mentorship, defined as mentorship that incorporates cultural knowledge to improve learning experiences for a particular group, is a critical step in this endeavor. While culturally responsive mentoring is most commonly associated with mentoring students with underrepresented races and ethnicities in the sciences, it can also be helpful for mentees with a diversity of abilities, sexualities, economic backgrounds, and religions. In this essay, we discuss how mentors can provide more culturally responsive mentoring of Muslim research mentees in the sciences. Muslims are a stigmatized minority group in the United States who participate in a religious culture that often differs from the secular culture of science. Notably, there are few resources for how to engage in culturally responsive mentoring of Muslim research mentees. To address this gap, we drew from the extant literature on the challenges that Muslims encounter in the United States, which likely extends to the context of scientific research, and identified potential culturally responsive accommodations in research.

Permissive prejudice in localized authoritarian consolidation: evidence from Turkey's municipalities

ABSTRACT What strategies do competitive authoritarian regimes use to target local-level opposition gains? How and why can these strategies vary subnationally? We analyse how national-level identity politics shapes regimes’ repression calculus at the local level. We suggest permissive prejudice leads regimes to choose harsher strategies in localities governed by stigmatized minority groups than in majority-led localities. To study this phenomenon, we identify three strategies varying in degrees of severity and visibility, and present an original dataset of repressive events in Turkey’s municipalities from 2016–2022. We argue anti-Kurdish prejudice explains the ruling AKP’s use of a harsh strategy of leader replacement in 149 cases of Kurdish-led municipalities yet only one Turkish-led municipality. Supporting our claim, the AKP used behind-the-scenes hamstringing to obstruct opposition mayors in Turkish-led municipalities. Our findings highlight the permissive and restrictive roles that identity politics plays in shaping local-level repression and wider patterns of authoritarian consolidation.

Beyond a sense of obliviousness: elite education and national identity among Palestinian students in Israel

ABSTRACT Through interviews with Palestinian students in elite schools in Israel, we delve into the intersection between experiences of elite identities and national identities. Contrary to the conventional narrative of hegemonic elite education promoting apolitical attitudes, our findings reveal that Palestinian students, belonging to a stigmatized minority group, prioritize academic excellence alongside a strong emphasis on Palestinian patriotism and national identity. Furthermore, we uncover a heightened political awareness among these students, which they attribute to distinct practices and rituals within the school setting. This paper contributes to understanding how elite education intersects with the construction of national identity among minority elites. It offers insights into the experiences of minority elite students facing discrimination while also highlighting the emergence of a self-defined elite within this specific sub-group.

Orientalization, or sidewards assimilation of second-generation Russian-speaking migrants in Israel’s urban periphery

ABSTRACT This article explores the assimilation of second-generation migrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) who grew up in Israel’s social and geographic urban periphery. Their upbringing in peripheral towns and neighborhoods exposed them almost exclusively to Mizrahim (Oriental Jews), a stigmatized minority group whose members make up the overwhelming majority in those locations. We argue that their interaction with members of this group resulted in an alternative process of assimilation, which we term Hitmazrehut (Orientalization). Children of migrants, who were unaware of the historical stigmatization of Mizrahim and their culture, conceived of Hitmazrehut as their only viable trajectory of assimilation into what they erroneously perceived as the Israeli mainstream. However, embracing Mizrahi socio-cultural practices, including consumption and production of ethnic culture, religious traditions and romantic partnerships, did not lead to their downward assimilation, as the model predicts. Rather, it allowed second-generation Russian-speaking migrants to fit in and attain social and economic mobility by assimilating sidewards, into the growing Mizrahi middle-class.

Switching places: Theater projects of Olja Lozica

From the very inception of her professional career, the theater projects of Olja Lozica, a Croatian dramatist, playwright and director, display the author's profound artistic commitment to the researching and portraying marginalized social groups and individuals. This paper examines selected plays by Olja Lozica, where she delves into the theatrical exploration of socially vulnerable workers, the unemployed, the powerless, stigmatized minority groups and various forms of disability. It also investigates the multifaceted forms, objectives and impacts of the author's distinct approach to theatrically representing non-normative individual and collective identities. Additionally, the paper establishes connections between the considered thematic layer and some of the principles underpinning Olja Lozica's unconventional, de/ rehierarchized, and open creative process.

Fostering Trust in Police in a Stigmatized Community: When Does Procedural Justice and Police Effectiveness Matter Most to Muslims?

Minority groups can be highly distrustful of police. This is problematic because it can lead to a reluctance to seek help from police when needed. As a stigmatized minority group, Muslims pose unique challenges for police engagement. This paper explores the importance of both police effectiveness and procedural justice for promoting Muslims’ trust in police. Drawing on survey data collected from 398 Muslims living in Sydney, Australia, this paper tests whether these relationships are person- and context-specific. That is, it examines whether procedural justice or police effectiveness concerns matter most in police- or citizen-initiated contacts with police, and whether individual differences in stigmatization moderate the relationship between procedural justice/police effectiveness on trust. We confirm that Muslims who feel more stigmatized are less likely to trust police, and those who perceive police as more procedurally just and more effective are more likely to trust police. However, results also indicate that the police effectiveness/procedural justice effects are moderated by type of police contact and stigmatization. Procedural justice is more important in police-initiated contacts, while police effectiveness is more important in citizen-initiated contacts. Procedural justice and police effectiveness also more strongly affect trust for those who feel less stigmatized. Together, the results reaffirm the general value of procedural justice and police effectiveness for fostering trust in police but also emphasize that these effects are person- and context-specific.

Social Perception in Schizophrenia: Evidence of Reduced Prejudiced Attitudes Among People With a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia.

Only recently research in social psychology has started to systematically investigate intergroup attitudes among members of stigmatized minority groups. In particular, the study of the way people with mental health problems perceive the social groups around them is so far very scarce. In this work, we focused on people with schizophrenia, analyzing their attitudes toward another stigmatized group, namely Black individuals. In Study 1, the attitudes toward White and Black people were assessed in a sample of respondents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and in a sample of non-clinical individuals. Results showed the presence of less negative attitudes toward the minority outgroup (i.e., Black people) among the clinical sample. In Study 2, we aimed at investigating what members belonging to the majority group (i.e., White non-clinical people) believe about the attitudes toward Black people held by individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In general, results suggested a general awareness in lay persons that people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, as compared to people with no history of mental disorders, hold reduced negative attitudes toward Black individuals. Overall, these results may help to enrich our knowledge about social cognition among members of stigmatized groups in general and, more specifically, among individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Intimate Dynamics and Relationship Satisfaction among LGB Adolescents: The Role of Sexual Minority Oppression.

Adolescent lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) romantic partners face the challenge of developing satisfactory relationships while managing stressors associated with being members of a stigmatized minority group due to their sexual minority status. The aims of this study were to explore and describe relationship dynamics among LGB adolescents that are in committed same-sex relationships in Portugal, to assess levels of satisfaction with their relationships, and to assess whether LGB oppression was associated with the likelihood of anticipating and experiencing problems within the relationship. A sample of 182 self-identified LGB adolescents (mean age = 17.89 years; SD = 1.99), completed an online survey consisting of various sociodemographic measures, a relationship dynamics questionnaire, a self-assessment of relationship satisfaction, and an adapted version of the Gay and Lesbian Oppressive Situations Inventory. Results show that participants were highly satisfied with their relationships, except those who were non-monogamous and less committed to their relationships. Participants showed moderate levels of LGB oppression situations, and, as demonstrated by the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, age (being older), having lower levels of commitment, and being exposed to higher levels of exclusion, rejection, and separation were strong predictors of lower levels of relationship satisfaction.

Issues Arising in Psychotherapy With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients.

In many ways, psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients does not differ from psychotherapy for heterosexual, gender conforming, and cisgender patients. Additionally, concepts and considerations that arise in psychotherapy with LGBT patients can parallel issues that arise in psychotherapy with patients of other stigmatized minority groups. In this article, the authors discuss the concept of minority stress and its relationship with mental health conditions and review specific issues that may arise with this heterogeneous patient population, including being in the closet, coming out of the closet, the psychotherapeutic search for "causes" of sexual orientation and gender identity, and therapist self-disclosure.

Abstract C078: Relations between sleep and inflammation in African American and White young adults: Testing mediating and moderating mechanisms

Abstract In this study, we examined the relations between sleep and inflammation in a sample of African American (AA) and White young adults. Immune activity has a broad impact on tumor initiation, growth and progression, which are thought to be mediated by proinflammatory cytokines, among which the protumorogenic function of interleukin 6 (Il-6) is well established (Grivennikov & Karin, 2011). A range of health behaviors is associated with increased Il-6 levels (Duivis et al., 2011). Of particular interest is the association between sleep and IL-6 levels in AAs and Whites, given recent work suggesting that racial differences in sleep may contribute to disparities in health (Curtis et al., 2017). Research examining ethnic health disparities has suggested the possibility that stigmatized minority groups may be more susceptible to the consequences of biologic dysregulation and accelerated physiologic aging due to differential exposure to adversity (Hogue, 2002). A few studies have investigated this Weathering Hypothesis by studying the associations among inflammatory biomarkers and a range of psychological and health factors (Geronimus, Hicken, Keen & Bound, 2006), with some studies demonstrating relations between inflammatory biomarkers and outcomes in AAs, but not Whites (Blair, Porter, Lebleicioglu, & Christian, 2015; Slopen, Lewis, Gruenewalkd, Mujahid, Ryff, Albert & Williams, 2010; Christian, Glaser, Porter and Iams, 2013). Another alternative model is that disparities in specific health behaviors may lead to potential group differences in IL-6 levels. The analytic sample for this study comprised 133 college students (mean age 18.8 years, SD 0.9; 41% AA, 57% female). IL-6 was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a detection range of 0.16 to 10.0 pg/ml. Participants reported on sleep using the Pittsburgh Sleep Inventory. We tested both mediation and moderation models. Results suggest significant group differences in sleep, but not in IL-6 levels. AAs reported significantly worse sleep (M = 4.3, SD = 3.6) as compared to Whites (M = 3.6, SD = 1.88). Additionally, results were consistent with our hypothesis that poor sleep would be associated with higher levels of IL-6 for AAs, but not for Whites. Specifically, using bootstrapping to test for moderation, we found that the interaction between sleep and race was significant (B = .08, SE = .02, p = .001, CI [1.3, 3.8]). In particular, for AAs, elevated IL-6 was associated with more sleep problems (B = .05, SE = .02, p = .003, CI [.02, .09]). The substantive finding held even after controlling for a range of demographic variables and health behaviors. Our results provide support for the idea that AAs are more susceptible to the consequences of behavioral dysregulation. Citation Format: Stacey N. Doan, Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell, Daniel B. Schmolze, Victoria Seewaldt. Relations between sleep and inflammation in African American and White young adults: Testing mediating and moderating mechanisms [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr C078.

DOES SEXUAL ORIENTATION RELATE TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING? A PROPENSITY-SCORE MATCHED ANALYSIS

Around 2.7 million adults over the age of 50 self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) in the United States. Past research suggests that additional stressors caused by being a socially stigmatized minority group can have a negative effect on health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between sexual orientation and self-rated health, memory, and psychological well-being in a 1:3 propensity score-matched subsample from 2016 wave of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative study of older adults. Each lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) participant (n=140) was matched with three straight participants (n=420) on age, sex, and education. The average age was 53.8 years (SD=2.3 years), 54% were men, the average education was 14.3 years (SD=2.4 years). Logistic regression results indicated that LGB participants were almost twice as likely to report ever having depression (OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.23-2.80). Conversely, LGB participants were more likely to report having better health (OR=1.47, 95% CI= 1.04-2.07) than straight participants and the two groups did not differ significantly in memory (OR=1.16, 95% CI= 0.82-1.64) from their straight counterparts. In conclusion, it is possible that the stigma due to sexual orientation plays a role in psychological well-being but may also reflect in better physical health but not cognitive health. It is also possible that the better health in LGB participants reflects self-report bias.

Exploring the relationship between gay men’s self- and meta-stereotype endorsement with well-being and self-worth

ABSTRACTStereotypes typically have negative impacts on stigmatized minority groups, especially when endorsed by members of that group. This paper examines the prevalence and consequences of stereotype endorsement on well-being within the gay community. Specifically, we explored how gay men’s self-stereotype (i.e., personal beliefs about the stereotypes pertaining to one’s in-group) and meta-stereotype (i.e., believing that out-group members endorse stereotypes pertaining to one’s in-group) endorsement would be related to mental and cognitive well-being. The sample of 253 gay male participants (aged 18–78 years; M = 38.25, SD = 13.51) completed an online questionnaire assessing demographics, self- and meta-stereotype endorsement, mental well-being (depression, anxiety, stress), and cognitive well-being (life satisfaction, self-worth) measures. We found evidence that our sample endorsed both self- and meta-stereotypes, with meta-stereotypes being endorsed more strongly than self-stereotypes. Regression analyses revealed a unique pattern of findings about the consequences of endorsing stereotypes: increases in self-stereotyping predicted decreases in mental well-being, whereas increases in meta-stereotyping predicted decreases in cognitive well-being. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Cross-group friendships and psychological well-being: A dual pathway through social integration and empowerment.

This study investigated the associations between cross-group friendships and psychological well-being among a sample of physically disabled adults. A total of 269 disabled people (Mage =39.13, SD=13.80; 114 females, 152 males, 3 unknown) completed questionnaires including the quality of their friendships with non-disabled people, perceived majority group's attitudes towards the minority group, collective self-esteem, collective action tendencies, own outgroup attitudes, and psychological well-being. Findings demonstrated that disabled people's cross-group friendships were directly and indirectly associated with higher levels of psychological well-being via two routes: one by promoting perceived majority attitudes which consequently led to more positive own outgroup attitudes (well-being through social integration hypothesis) and the other by leading to higher levels of collective self-esteem which enhanced collective action tendencies (well-being through empowerment hypothesis). Findings offer important insights into the study of cross-group friendships in relation to the psychological well-being of stigmatized minority group members.

Transgender politics as body politics: effects of disgust sensitivity and authoritarianism on transgender rights attitudes

ABSTRACTTransgender identity inherently involves body politics, specifically how transgender people may physically represent gender in ways that do not match their assigned sex at birth and how some may alter their bodies. Yet, political behavior research on transgender rights attitudes leaves unaddressed the role of transgender bodies in shaping those attitudes. Using an original, representative national survey of American adults, we analyze how authoritarianism and disgust sensitivity affect transgender rights attitudes. These two predispositions often reflect social norms and morality about bodies, especially those of stigmatized minority groups. First, we show that attitudes about transgender rights are multidimensional, forming civil rights and body-centric dimensions. Second, we demonstrate that disgust sensitivity and authoritarianism both positively predict opposition to transgender rights, and that they moderate each other’s effects such that the greatest opposition is among those jointly scoring higher on both predictors. Finally, we show that disgust sensitivity and authoritarianism predict greater than average opposition to body-centric transgender rights policies.

Daily exposure to negative campaign messages decreases same-sex couples’ psychological and relational well-being

Throughout history, the rights of stigmatized minority group members have been subject to popular debate and voter referenda. The impact of the resulting devaluing social discourse on the well-being of minority group members remains unknown. For example, exposure to the discourse leading up to decisions on same-sex marriage may have negative consequences for sexual minority individuals and same-sex couples. We examined the impact of exposure to same-sex marriage campaign messages (e.g., commercials, billboards, yard signs) on the psychological and relational well-being of couples living in the four states that had same-sex marriage voter initiatives in the 2012 general election. Sixty-two same-sex couples ( N = 124) completed a baseline survey and 10 daily diary reports during the month before the election. Daily exposure to negative campaign messages was associated with increased negative affect and decreased positive affect and relationship satisfaction. These associations persisted controlling for baseline levels of depression and daily fluctuations in general stress among both members of the couple. Exposure to a devaluing social discourse regarding the rights of same-sex couples represents a unique form of social stress resulting in negative consequences for the psychological and relational well-being of same-sex couples. Thus, the health of same-sex couples may be of particular concern in contexts where marriage policy decisions are pending and the subject of popular debate.

Propaganda and Politics in Developing Countries: Evidence from India

This paper provides evidence for the effects of propaganda in inducing voters to support political parties espousing ideologies of ethno-religious nationalism. Prior to the 1991 Indian national elections, the leader of the Hindu-nationalist BJP party undertook a campaign across northern India to promote the construction of a Hindu temple at a particularly sensitive site. Causal identification of the campaign’s effect comes through the incidental exposure of localities due to their lying along the road joining the cities which were the ultimate target destinations. The main result is that the campaign increased the BJP’s vote share by 3.5-9.5 percentage points in the constituencies through which it passed. This was not due to an increase in voter turnout, which was unaffected by the campaign. In addition, the probability of riots increased by 7 ppts, and the associated riots increased the party’s vote share by 3.5 ppts. The improvement in the BJP’s vote share translated to a 10-28 ppts increase in the probability of victory for the BJP in visited constituencies. The effect is found to be largest where there was a significant Muslim population, indicating that the presence of the stigmatized minority group was crucial to the campaign’s effectiveness. There is some evidence that the campaign led to an increase in the availability of local public goods in the local communities through which it directly passed.

Interaction of Socio-structural Characteristics Predicts Identity Concealment and Self- Esteem in Stigmatized Minority Group Members

The present research investigated the relationship between socio-structural characteristics of intergroup differences, identity concealment, and self-esteem in members of a stigmatized minority group. Structural equation modeling of survey responses collected at a convention showed that socio-structural characteristics interact to predict concealment strategies as a way of managing perceived stigma. Perceived permeability of intergroup boundaries predicted increased endorsement of concealment, moderated by the legitimacy and stability of intergroup status differences. Interacting socio-structural characteristics also predicted self-esteem, an effect mediated by identity concealment. The results illustrate that socio-structural characteristics can help predict stigmatized minority group members’ endorsement of identity concealment despite its potentially maladaptive effects.

In-Group and Out-Group Influences on the Consumption Behavior of Minority Groups: The Case of Gay Men

This article examines how and why members of a stigmatized minority group respond to in-group and out-group influences in their consumption decisions. Specifically, the authors demonstrate through a field survey that gay men are more [less] likely, compared with their straight counterparts, to conform to influences from in-group [out-group] members. Moreover, the authors show that these patterns are driven by differences across these two groups in both their horizontal and vertical collectivism values. In doing so, this article provides evidence of the influence of coping with continual threats to identity (as are faced by stigmatized minorities) on gay men's cultural values and explores these driving role of these values in gay men's susceptibility to influences from in- and out-groups that go beyond those based on majority–minority status.

Unhealthy Interactions: The Role of Stereotype Threat in Health Disparities

Stereotype threat is the unpleasant psychological experience of confronting negative stereotypes about race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or social status. Hundreds of published studies show how the experience of stereotype threat can impair intellectual functioning and interfere with test and school performance. Numerous published interventions derived from this research have improved the performance and motivation of individuals targeted by low-ability stereotypes. Stereotype threat theory and research provide a useful lens for understanding and reducing the negative health consequences of interracial interactions for African Americans and members of similarly stigmatized minority groups. Here we summarize the educational outcomes of stereotype threat and examine the implications of stereotype threat for health and health-related behaviors.

Differential effects of perceived discrimination on the diurnal cortisol rhythm of African Americans and Whites

The current study considered the influence of perceived discrimination on the diurnal cortisol rhythm of 50 African American older adults and a matched comparison groups of 100 Whites (M(age)=56.6; 58% female). The role of socioeconomic status (SES) as a moderator of the effects of discrimination on the diurnal decline was also considered for each group. In support of the idea that perceptions of unfair treatment take on a unique meaning for stigmatized minority groups, results suggest that perceived discrimination is associated with a flatter (less healthy) diurnal slope among Whites but a steeper (more healthy) diurnal slope among African Americans. Perceived discrimination was also found to be more strongly associated with a steepening of the diurnal slope among lower SES African Americans than higher SES African Americans.