Date of Award

7-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Psychology

Committee Chair

Megan Renna

Committee Chair School

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Kelsey Bonfils

Committee Member 2 School

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Freddie Pastrana-Rivera

Committee Member 3 School

Psychology

Committee Member 4

Daniel Capron

Abstract

Experiences of heterosexism (i.e., stigmatizing experiences rooted in beliefs, attitudes, and structures that assign value to heterosexuality and thereby devalue minoritized sexual orientations) have a tangible impact on the health of sexual minoritized people by eroding psychological and physical well-being. Affective consequences of minority stress and associated blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) changes are mechanisms whereby minority stress may create psychological and biological wear and tear that wears away the health of sexual minoritized young adults. The current study examined changes in affect, HRV, and blood pressure from baseline to after the sexual minority stress induction and through a brief recovery period. Participants were 83 undergraduate students who identified with a minoritized sexual orientation (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) recruited from USM’s SONA participant pool and via flyer advertisement for USM students who were non-SONA users. After completion of an online screening survey, participants were invited to the in-person visit wherein they completed measurements of affect, blood pressure, and HRV before, during, and after an experimental sexual minority stress induction. ANOVA results indicated that there were significant differences in negative affect, positive affect, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and HRV across measurement time points, but the effect of the minority stress induction varied depending on the outcome examined. Planned contrasts showed adaptive changes in negative affect and HRV relative to the stressor. Planned contrasts also highlighted that positive affect decreased following the stressor, and this decrease was sustained throughout the recovery period. ANCOVA results and planned contrasts indicated that there was no difference in outcome variables based on perceived heterosexism group (low, average, high). Broadly, these results suggest that young sexual minoritized adults may not necessarily lack adaptive mechanisms, but rather their mechanisms of resiliency (e.g., positive affect) may be disrupted by minority stress, which may contribute to greater wear and tear on psychological and biological health.

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