Abstract:

Sexual minorities include gay, lesbians and bisexuals. The Sexual Minority Stress Model (SMSM) holds that, the sexual minority stress has a huge impact on the mental health of sexual minority individuals as they suffer from their identities. The sexual minority stress included external stress (prejudice, discrimination and stigma) and internal stress (minority identity, concealment and coming out). There were two different research orientations in the research of relationships between sexual minority stress and mental health. The between-group studies emphasized on the differences between sexual minority individuals and heterosexuals, thus finding out that sexual minorities suffered from more negative psychological problems. The within-group studies documented the effect of sexual minority stress on mental health on the basis of the SMSM.

Key words: sexual minority, mental health, stress, sexual orientation