Minority stress

Minority stress describes high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups. It may be caused by a number of factors, including poor social support and low socioeconomic status; well understood causes of minority stress are interpersonal prejudice and discrimination. Indeed, numerous scientific studies have shown that when minority individuals experience a high degree of prejudice, this can cause stress responses (e.g., high blood pressure, anxiety) that accrue over time, eventually leading to poor mental and physical health. Minority stress theory summarizes these scientific studies to explain how difficult social situations lead to chronic stress and poor health among minority individuals. Over the past three decades, social scientists have found that minority individuals suffer from mental and physical health disparities compared to their peers in majority groups. This research has focused primarily on racial and sexual minorities. For example, Black Americans have been found to suffer elevated rates of hypertension compared to whites. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals face higher rates of suicide, substance abuse, and cancer relative to non-queer people. More recent data suggest the association of minority stressors with higher rates of migraine headaches, stroke, and functional neurological disorder among LGBTQ+ people. Newer hypotheses propose that intersections of multiple minority stigmata increase experiences of stress. One causal explanation for minority health disparities is the social selection hypothesis, which holds that there is something inherent to being in a minority group (e.g., genetics) that makes individuals susceptible to health problems. In general, this view has not been supported by empirical research. Instead, research suggests that environmental factors explain minority health disparities better than do genetic factors. While the social selection hypothesis is still debated, it is clear that genetic and dispositional factors do not fully explain the health disparities observed in minority groups.

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Concepts associés (6)

Passing (sociologie)

vignette|Rachel Dolezal est passée pour Noire pendant des années et a été présidente d'un chapitre de la National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Le passing est la capacité d'une personne à être considérée comme membre d'un groupe social autre que le sien, comme l'ethnie, la caste, la classe sociale, l'orientation sexuelle, le genre, la religion, l'âge ou le handicap. Il peut conférer des privilèges, des récompenses, une meilleure acceptation sociale ou aider à faire face à une stigmatisation.

Stigma management

Stigma management is the process of concealing or disclosing aspects of one's identity to minimize social stigma. When a person receives unfair treatment or alienation due to a social stigma, the effects can be detrimental. Social stigmas are defined as any aspect of an individual's identity that is devalued in a social context. These stigmas can be categorized as visible or invisible, depending on whether the stigma is readily apparent to others.

Homophobie

L'homophobie est l'attitude de rejet, d'hostilité systématique ou d'aversion envers des personnes, des pratiques ou des représentations homosexuelles ou supposées l'être. L’homophobie englobe ainsi des préjugés et discriminations qui peuvent se manifester par de la peur, de la haine, du harcèlement, de la violence ou encore de la désapprobation intellectuelle intolérante envers les homosexuels, hommes ou femmes, voire envers l'ensemble de la communauté LGBT.