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Minority stress and psychological distress among sexual and gender expansive people: Evidence from Kazakhstan

Lee, Yong Gun; Vinogradov, Vitaliy; Zhakupova, Gulnara; Mergenova, Gaukhar; Yang, Chenxi; Laughney, Caitlin Isabella; Davis, Alissa; Paine, Emily A.; Li, Dongze; Reeder, Kelsey; Sung, Jimin; Hunt, Timothy; Primbetova, Sholpan; Terlikbayeva, Assel; Wu, Elwin

There is a critical gap in minority stress research in Kazakhstan, where the rights and dignity of sexual and gender expansive (SGE) people have been under increasing threat. This brief report investigated minority stress processes in a sample of cisgender gay, bisexual, and other men (MSM) and transgender and nonbinary individuals who have sex with men (TSM) enrolled in a behavioral HIV prevention trial in Kazakhstan. Baseline data from 629 MSM and TSM were used to analyze the rates of and associations between victimization, discrimination, and internalized stigma and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Descriptive analyses showed that 68% of the study participants experienced at least one of 16 forms of victimization and 32% one of 8 domains of discrimination within the past six months. Meanwhile, 28%, 37%, and 21% of the study participants reported experiencing at least moderate levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively, within the past one week. Multivariable regression analyses identified victimization and discrimination as significant predictors of all psychological distress indicators. Internalized stigma significantly predicted depression. The study findings corroborated the minority stress model for MSM and TSM in Kazakhstan.

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Social Work
Published Here
January 28, 2025