Minority Stress Among Russian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People in Young and Middle Adulthood: Associations With Internalizing and Externalizing Mental Health Problems

This research examined minority stress and mental health in Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in young and middle adulthood (18-50 years; N = 1,127). The online survey included measures of feared and experienced everyday discrimination, internalized stigmatization, and identity nondisclosure (minority stress indicators) as well as measures of anxiety and depression (internalizing mental health problems) and substance misuse and sexual risk behavior (externalizing mental health problems). Minority group (lesbian/gay vs. bisexual vs. transgender), gender identity (female vs. male vs. nonbinary), and age accounted for relatively little variance (6% at maximum) in minority stress and mental health, except for two variables, experience of discrimination (11% of variance explained; highest rates among transgender persons) and sexual risk behavior (22% of variance explained; highest rates among gay men). Feared and experienced discrimination showed the strongest associations with internalizing problems, while internalized stigmatization was, at a lower level, equally related to internalizing and externalizing problems. Identity nondisclosure showed a relatively weak and ambivalent association with mental health problems. Taken together, the minority stress variables explained 26% of variance in anxiety and 16% of variance in depression, but only 3% in substance misuse and sexual risk behavior. The results are compared to those of previous research stemming from Western cultural contexts. Implications for public health policy and mental health care for Russian LGBT people are discussed.