Subtle, everyday bias: Microaggressions, well-being and the role of ingroup identification

What is it about?

Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional, cues or behaviours that communicate derogatory messages about LGBTQA+ individuals. Generally, microaggressions have negative implications for the well-being of LGBTQA+ people. We examined how in the face of discrimination and microaggressions, ingroup identification (the sense of belonging to the LGTBQA+ community) might protect well-being. Our study showed that microaggressions are associated with a reduced feeling of life satisfaction and elevated depressive symptoms. In addition, strong identification with the LGBTQA+ community is protective of life satisfaction in cases of general perceived discrimination but not in cases of microaggressions. Ingroup identification does not appear to protect against depression from microaggressions or general perceived discrimination. Lastly, people who are trans and/or gender-diverse face higher risks of discrimination, microaggressions and resultant mental health challenges, although ingroup identification appears to function similarly regardless of whether one is cisgender or trans and/or gender diverse.

Featured Image

Photo by Margaux Bellott on Unsplash

Photo by Margaux Bellott on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings suggest that microaggressions are damaging to the well-being of LGBTQA+ individuals. What is more, a sense of belonging to the LGBTQA+ community may be beneficial for protecting individuals from discrimination, but less so from microaggressions.

Perspectives

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Across the globe, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment has been reported to be rising. Given the increasingly hostile political climates LGBTQ+ individuals may be faced with, understanding protective factors of well-being is timely. We hope this research has highlighted the importance of considering both subtle and overt forms of discrimination in well-being research and how even subtle, ‘everyday’ expressions of bias can have a negative impact on the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals.

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