Risk Rejection or Conceal an Important Part of Myself? The moderating Role of Geographical Differences in the Relationship between Minority Stress and Basic Psychological Needs among Sexual Minorities

Abstract

Members of the LGBTQ+ community are exposed to stigma, prejudice, and discrimination which causes them to develop more mental health issues than the heterosexual population. Despite a growing body of literature on minority stress, research investigating its connection to the psychological needs of sexual minorities is still scarce. As rural sexual minorities have been shown to experience more stigmatization and are thus more exposed to minority stress and potentially also more need frustration, the moderating role of rural culture was taken into consideration. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the relationship between minority stress and basic psychological need satisfaction/frustration, and the moderating effect of rural vs urban residency. 156 non-heterosexuals (57.1% women, 16% men, 26.9% other genders; mean age = 24.6) completed the cross-sectional online survey. Contrary to the expectations, moderation analyses showed no significant effects of expected rejection and self-concealment in relation to need satisfaction and frustration, nor any moderating effect of the geographic residence. Yet, significant effects of gender were found. Limitations are discussed and suggestions for additional research are provided.