The role of masculinity-based stress and minority stress in the mental health of Asian and Pacific Islander gay and bisexual men in the U.S
Item
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Title
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The role of masculinity-based stress and minority stress in the mental health of Asian and Pacific Islander gay and bisexual men in the U.S
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:da178c1053ff:10387
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identifier
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10501
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Creator
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Truong, Nhan,
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Contributor
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Suzanne Ouellette
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Date
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2010
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Social psychology | Gender studies | LGBTQ studies | body image | discrimination | gay API men | masculinity stress | mental health | minority stress
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Abstract
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Gay and bisexual Asian and Pacific Islander (API) men in the U.S. face prejudice and discrimination in their everyday lives. This partially stems from cultural stereotypes that cast them as men who do not fit the heterosexual White masculine ideal. The resulting stress that is produced from their experiences of conflict between the gay Asian stereotypes and the hegemonic masculine ideal may lead to a decline in their mental health. This dissertation study explores API gay and bisexual men's unique cultural experiences of masculinity-related stress and examines the relationships between masculinity-related stress, minority stress, and mental health among these men.;Eight gay and bisexual API men participated in semi-structured pilot interviews to assess the extent to which the masculinity-based stress measures reflect the lived experiences of API gay and bisexual men, and to refine the online survey questionnaire. Two-hundred twenty three gay and bisexual API men in the U.S. completed the refined online survey questionnaire. The online survey examined how masculinity-related stress and minority stress serve as social psychological mechanisms. An additive model of mental health was proposed whereby both masculinity-related stress and minority stress were predictive of depression and psychological well-being.;The pilot interviews revealed that overall the API gay and bisexual men were not distressed about the masculine body ideal, and suggested that these men negotiated the stigma attached to their bodies by reframing it in a positive manner. This was evident in their narratives about (1) learning to embrace their body type, and (2) using an internal locus of control by reframing distress over the masculine body ideal into something they have control over, that is concern over their physical health.;Factor analyses on the Masculine Body Ideal Distress Scale and Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale items indicated that the measures fit the experiences of API gay and bisexual men. Multiple regression analyses showed that the three masculinity-related stress measures (masculine body image distress, masculine gender role stress, and distress over gay Asian stereotypes) and four of the six minority stress measures (internalized racism, internalized homophobia, stigma consciousness, and gay Asian stereotype consciousness) significantly predicted mental health. Consistent with Yoshikawa et al's findings on his sample of gay and bisexual API men, sexual orientation based discrimination did not predict mental health. Also, racism-related stress did not affect mental health.;The present study also explored minority stress, generation status, and ethnicity as moderators of the relationship between masculinity-related stress and mental health. Only ethnicity was found to be a moderator. Filipino/Indian vs Other API moderated the relationship between gay Asian stereotype consciousness and psychological well-being, and Chinese/Taiwanese vs Filipinos moderated the relationship between gay Asian stereotype consciousness and depression. Implications for culturally sensitive interventions on gay and bisexual API men's mental health are discussed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
