Paula M Brochu
Biographic Data
| ID | 833822 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Paula M Brochu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Paula M |
| FAMILY NAME | Brochu |
| SIGNATURE | BROCHU P M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Nova Southeastern University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6131-3209 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 19 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Clarifying the Association Between Proximal Minority Stress and Relationship Satisfaction Among Partnered Latter-Day Saint Sexual Minoritized Adults
Latter-day Saint (LDS) sexual minoritized (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) persons may face unique challenges to forming and maintaining satisfying romantic connections. Grounded in minority stress theory and relational-cultural theory, the current study examined authenticity as a statistical mediator underlying the association between indicators of proximal minority stress (i.e., identity concealment and internalized homonegativity) and rel…
An Intersectional Analysis of Intraminority Stigma Experiences and Community Involvement Among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Gay Men
Participation within gay communities can foster belonging but also intraminority stigma, potentially leading to avoidance, smaller social networks, and worse mental health. Guided by temporal intersectional minority stress theory and intraminority gay community stress theory, this cross-sectional study examined age differences in gay-specific intraminority stigma experiences, community involvement, and their associations among 2,159 gay men aged …
Associations between weight stigma and mental well-being among people in romantic relationships
Weight stigma is negatively associated with individual mental well-being as well as the mental well-being of romantic partners. Future research is needed to replicate and expand these findings and examine internalized and anticipated weight stigma as potential mechanisms through which experienced weight stigma may affect mental well-being among people in romantic relationships and their partners
Beyond “not my type”
Gay men with intersecting diverse identities are at increased risk for experiencing intraminority stigma (i.e., negative attitudes or discrimination from the gay community based on a socially undervalued identity or trait). The use of dating apps is pervasive among gay men and becoming more common during the ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic, representing a potential site for intraminority stigma. In this study, the association between online dat…
Development and Validation of the Gay-Specific Intraminority Stigma Inventory (G-Sisi)
There is currently a lack of measures testing intraminority stress within gay men. Therefore, the current study sought to develop and psychometrically test the Gay-Specific Intraminority Stigma Inventory (G-SISI). Based on a content review of the literature and a panel of experts, a pool of items assessing gay men’s perceived exposure to a range of discriminatory attitudes from other gay men was generated. Utilizing a randomly split sample of 172…
Couples losing kinship
Romantic relationship quality is a robust predictor of health and well‐being. With increasing awareness of the pervasiveness and harm of weight stigma, it is important to understand the role of weight stigma within romantic relationships. This systematic review sought to synthesize the findings of research examining the association between weight stigma and relationship functioning. Following PRISMA guidelines, 32 relevant articles were identifie…
O te peinas, o te haces rolos
Findings increase awareness of unique psychosocial factors that may underlie mental health inequities affecting Latinx adults with minoritized sexual identities. Such knowledge can facilitate the development of culturally responsive interventions that best support this diverse population by addressing intersectional minority stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
An examination of theory-based suicidal ideation risk factors in college students with multiple marginalized identities
Social marginalization increases the risk of suicidal ideation (SI) among individuals with diverse identities, yet research examining the effects of marginalization has focused on one identity. Emerging adulthood is a critical period of identity development and the age group with the highest rates of SI. Considering the challenges of living in potentially heterosexist, cissexist, racist, and sizeist environments, we tested whether possessing mult…
Out of the closet, but not out of the woods
Sexual minoritized individuals engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) at higher rates than their heterosexual peers. Disclosing one's sexual minoritized identity can put one at risk for experiencing discrimination, which is linked to greater engagement in NSSI. However, discrimination has yet to be tested as a mechanism linking sexual identity disclosure to NSSI. Understanding how sexual identity disclosure impacts NSSI has the potential to in…
Parents' Perceptions of and Responses to School‐Based Body Mass Index Screening Programs—A Systematic Review
Hidden grief is complicated
Sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) elders who have lost or expect to lose a partner or loved one are at elevated risk for experiencing hidden or disenfranchised grief due to historical and current stigmatising social structures that lead to identity concealment. Identity concealment is associated with a range of negative health (e.g. depression, anxiety) and psychosocial (e.g. social isolation, lower sense of belonging) outcomes that may adverse…
It’s interpersonal
Suicide prevention is a public health priority because suicide is a serious public health issue in the United States and globally. In this study, we test whether weight bias internalization is associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors from the perspective of the interpersonal theory of suicide. Utilizing a community sample of American adults (N = 433), participants completed measures of weight bias internalization, perceived burdensomeness,…
Impact of Status-Based Rejection Sensitivity on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Gay Men
Status-based rejection sensitivity refers to the anxious expectation and tendency to perceive rejection in ambiguous social scenarios based on one's minority identification. This study evaluates the implications of sensitivity to rejection based on sexual orientation identity on negative mental health outcomes. Current minority stress models include rejection sensitivity as a factor that may contribute to adverse negative psychosocial outcomes in…
Instagram
The current study examined the association between the social media application Instagram and its users’ psychological well-being. Participants, both Instagram users and non-users, were surveyed online on measures of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-esteem, body image, and social comparison. Participants who reported having an Instagram account were also asked about their time spent on Instagram and Instagram anxiety. To understand the assoc…
Prejudice
Teaching Clinical Psychology Trainees about Weight Bias
As an assistant professor who teaches clinical psychology trainees about social aspects of behavior, I devote one week to the topic of weight bias. In this class, I rely on the research literature to challenge common myths about “obesity,” demonstrate the pervasiveness and harm of weight bias, and offer recommendations to trainees to apply to their own professional and personal lives. I encourage trainees to shift focus from weight and weight los…
The Fat Lady Sings
In The Fat Lady Sings: A Psychological Exploration of the Cultural Fat Complex and its Effects, Cheryl Fuller shares her experiences and reflections as a fat woman, Jungian psychotherapist with ove
Would You Like Fries (380 Calories) With That? Menu Labeling Mitigates the Impact of Weight-Based Stereotype Threat on Food Choice
Policies that focus on self-regulation are being implemented to reduce obesity. One policy is menu labeling, the provision of calorie information on restaurant menus, which has evidenced mixed results. To illuminate the role of psychological processes, we examined the effect of weight-based stereotype threat on food choice as a function of body mass index (BMI). In Study 1, participants under stereotype threat ordered food containing more calorie…
The integrative prejudice framework and different forms of weight prejudice
We use the integrative prejudice framework to further our understanding of weight prejudice, while simultaneously testing the generalizability of this framework. Participants completed measures of implicit and explicit weight prejudice, egalitarian-based nonprejudicial goals, and perceived weight discrimination. In line with predictions of the integrative prejudice framework based on cognitive consistency principles, implicit and explicit weight …
Instagram
The current study examined the association between the social media application Instagram and its users’ psychological well-being. Participants, both Instagram users and non-users, were surveyed online on measures of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-esteem, body image, and social comparison. Participants who reported having an Instagram account were also asked about their time spent on Instagram and Instagram anxiety. To understand the assoc…
Beyond “not my type”
Gay men with intersecting diverse identities are at increased risk for experiencing intraminority stigma (i.e., negative attitudes or discrimination from the gay community based on a socially undervalued identity or trait). The use of dating apps is pervasive among gay men and becoming more common during the ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic, representing a potential site for intraminority stigma. In this study, the association between online dat…
O te peinas, o te haces rolos
Findings increase awareness of unique psychosocial factors that may underlie mental health inequities affecting Latinx adults with minoritized sexual identities. Such knowledge can facilitate the development of culturally responsive interventions that best support this diverse population by addressing intersectional minority stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Out of the closet, but not out of the woods
Sexual minoritized individuals engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) at higher rates than their heterosexual peers. Disclosing one's sexual minoritized identity can put one at risk for experiencing discrimination, which is linked to greater engagement in NSSI. However, discrimination has yet to be tested as a mechanism linking sexual identity disclosure to NSSI. Understanding how sexual identity disclosure impacts NSSI has the potential to in…
The integrative prejudice framework and different forms of weight prejudice
We use the integrative prejudice framework to further our understanding of weight prejudice, while simultaneously testing the generalizability of this framework. Participants completed measures of implicit and explicit weight prejudice, egalitarian-based nonprejudicial goals, and perceived weight discrimination. In line with predictions of the integrative prejudice framework based on cognitive consistency principles, implicit and explicit weight …
The integrative prejudice framework and different forms of weight prejudice
We use the integrative prejudice framework to further our understanding of weight prejudice, while simultaneously testing the generalizability of this framework. Participants completed measures of implicit and explicit weight prejudice, egalitarian-based nonprejudicial goals, and perceived weight discrimination. In line with predictions of the integrative prejudice framework based on cognitive consistency principles, implicit and explicit weight …
Would You Like Fries (380 Calories) With That? Menu Labeling Mitigates the Impact of Weight-Based Stereotype Threat on Food Choice
Policies that focus on self-regulation are being implemented to reduce obesity. One policy is menu labeling, the provision of calorie information on restaurant menus, which has evidenced mixed results. To illuminate the role of psychological processes, we examined the effect of weight-based stereotype threat on food choice as a function of body mass index (BMI). In Study 1, participants under stereotype threat ordered food containing more calorie…
Prejudice
Teaching Clinical Psychology Trainees about Weight Bias
As an assistant professor who teaches clinical psychology trainees about social aspects of behavior, I devote one week to the topic of weight bias. In this class, I rely on the research literature to challenge common myths about “obesity,” demonstrate the pervasiveness and harm of weight bias, and offer recommendations to trainees to apply to their own professional and personal lives. I encourage trainees to shift focus from weight and weight los…
The Fat Lady Sings
In The Fat Lady Sings: A Psychological Exploration of the Cultural Fat Complex and its Effects, Cheryl Fuller shares her experiences and reflections as a fat woman, Jungian psychotherapist with ove
Instagram
The current study examined the association between the social media application Instagram and its users’ psychological well-being. Participants, both Instagram users and non-users, were surveyed online on measures of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-esteem, body image, and social comparison. Participants who reported having an Instagram account were also asked about their time spent on Instagram and Instagram anxiety. To understand the assoc…
It’s interpersonal
Suicide prevention is a public health priority because suicide is a serious public health issue in the United States and globally. In this study, we test whether weight bias internalization is associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors from the perspective of the interpersonal theory of suicide. Utilizing a community sample of American adults (N = 433), participants completed measures of weight bias internalization, perceived burdensomeness,…
Impact of Status-Based Rejection Sensitivity on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Gay Men
Status-based rejection sensitivity refers to the anxious expectation and tendency to perceive rejection in ambiguous social scenarios based on one's minority identification. This study evaluates the implications of sensitivity to rejection based on sexual orientation identity on negative mental health outcomes. Current minority stress models include rejection sensitivity as a factor that may contribute to adverse negative psychosocial outcomes in…
Parents' Perceptions of and Responses to School‐Based Body Mass Index Screening Programs—A Systematic Review
Hidden grief is complicated
Sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) elders who have lost or expect to lose a partner or loved one are at elevated risk for experiencing hidden or disenfranchised grief due to historical and current stigmatising social structures that lead to identity concealment. Identity concealment is associated with a range of negative health (e.g. depression, anxiety) and psychosocial (e.g. social isolation, lower sense of belonging) outcomes that may adverse…
Out of the closet, but not out of the woods
Sexual minoritized individuals engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) at higher rates than their heterosexual peers. Disclosing one's sexual minoritized identity can put one at risk for experiencing discrimination, which is linked to greater engagement in NSSI. However, discrimination has yet to be tested as a mechanism linking sexual identity disclosure to NSSI. Understanding how sexual identity disclosure impacts NSSI has the potential to in…
Development and Validation of the Gay-Specific Intraminority Stigma Inventory (G-Sisi)
There is currently a lack of measures testing intraminority stress within gay men. Therefore, the current study sought to develop and psychometrically test the Gay-Specific Intraminority Stigma Inventory (G-SISI). Based on a content review of the literature and a panel of experts, a pool of items assessing gay men’s perceived exposure to a range of discriminatory attitudes from other gay men was generated. Utilizing a randomly split sample of 172…
Couples losing kinship
Romantic relationship quality is a robust predictor of health and well‐being. With increasing awareness of the pervasiveness and harm of weight stigma, it is important to understand the role of weight stigma within romantic relationships. This systematic review sought to synthesize the findings of research examining the association between weight stigma and relationship functioning. Following PRISMA guidelines, 32 relevant articles were identifie…
O te peinas, o te haces rolos
Findings increase awareness of unique psychosocial factors that may underlie mental health inequities affecting Latinx adults with minoritized sexual identities. Such knowledge can facilitate the development of culturally responsive interventions that best support this diverse population by addressing intersectional minority stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
An examination of theory-based suicidal ideation risk factors in college students with multiple marginalized identities
Social marginalization increases the risk of suicidal ideation (SI) among individuals with diverse identities, yet research examining the effects of marginalization has focused on one identity. Emerging adulthood is a critical period of identity development and the age group with the highest rates of SI. Considering the challenges of living in potentially heterosexist, cissexist, racist, and sizeist environments, we tested whether possessing mult…
Beyond “not my type”
Gay men with intersecting diverse identities are at increased risk for experiencing intraminority stigma (i.e., negative attitudes or discrimination from the gay community based on a socially undervalued identity or trait). The use of dating apps is pervasive among gay men and becoming more common during the ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic, representing a potential site for intraminority stigma. In this study, the association between online dat…
Associations between weight stigma and mental well-being among people in romantic relationships
Weight stigma is negatively associated with individual mental well-being as well as the mental well-being of romantic partners. Future research is needed to replicate and expand these findings and examine internalized and anticipated weight stigma as potential mechanisms through which experienced weight stigma may affect mental well-being among people in romantic relationships and their partners
Clarifying the Association Between Proximal Minority Stress and Relationship Satisfaction Among Partnered Latter-Day Saint Sexual Minoritized Adults
Latter-day Saint (LDS) sexual minoritized (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) persons may face unique challenges to forming and maintaining satisfying romantic connections. Grounded in minority stress theory and relational-cultural theory, the current study examined authenticity as a statistical mediator underlying the association between indicators of proximal minority stress (i.e., identity concealment and internalized homonegativity) and rel…
An Intersectional Analysis of Intraminority Stigma Experiences and Community Involvement Among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Gay Men
Participation within gay communities can foster belonging but also intraminority stigma, potentially leading to avoidance, smaller social networks, and worse mental health. Guided by temporal intersectional minority stress theory and intraminority gay community stress theory, this cross-sectional study examined age differences in gay-specific intraminority stigma experiences, community involvement, and their associations among 2,159 gay men aged …
Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works) · Minority stress (8 works) · Psychiatry (8 works) · Sexual minority (8 works) · Sexual orientation (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Developmental psychology (6 works)