Self-concealment, discrimination, and mental health in Macedonia

Disparities experienced by sexual and gender minorities

Bibliographic Data

ID8066705
AuthorsSasha Zhou (0000-0003-3050-1773, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Elizabeth J King (0000-0001-8465-4607, University of Michigan), Jovana Gjorgiovska (Youth Education Forum, Skopje, Macedonia), Antonio Mihajlov (Subversive Front, Skopje, Macedonia), Kristefer Stojanovski (0000-0003-1239-5153, University of Michigan)
Year2018
Volume14
Issue8
Pages1075-1086
Publication date2018-12-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGlobal Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1744-1692 • E-ISSN: 1744-1706
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17441692.2018.1560484
PMID31177944
OpenAlexW2906387916
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited43

While sexual and gender minorities (SGM)-based discrimination and poor mental health is well established in the literature within Western contexts, there is a significant gap in our understanding in other regions, specifically Southeastern Europe. Additionally, limited information exists on self-concealment's role in these pathways. We explored the relationship between self-concealment, discrimination and mental health in Macedonia, a country rife with sociopolitical oppression towards the population. We utilised regression and structural equation models to identify the effects of self-concealment on the relationship between discrimination and rumination and social interaction anxiety from a cross-sectional survey of 18-30 year olds ( n = 396). Self-concealment was a significant mediator between discrimination and psychosocial outcomes; accounting for 29% of the effect from discrimination to social anxiety, and 57% of the effect from discrimination to rumination ( p < .001). Results reveal that by actively managing their identity, SGM in Macedonia experience elevated distress beyond the impact of discrimination. The results discern salient information on how to disrupt the adverse role of discrimination of SGM on mental health outcomes. This provides a crucial template for the global public health community when developing mental health programmes and advocating for policies, to begin reversing the mental health inequities created within the country

Anxiety · Cognition · Distress · Environmental health · Mental health · Oppression · Political science · Population · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Public health · Rumination · Sexual orientation · Transgender · Clinical Psychology · Employment and Welfare Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub