Intragroup status, perceived discrimination and mental health among Japanese sexual and gender minorities

Abstract Although research on the mental health of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Japan remains limited, existing studies suggest that many experience psychological distress due to societal stigma. However, little work has examined these experiences within a cultural framework that considers intragroup dynamics and social identity processes. This study addressed this gap by testing the cross‐cultural applicability of the Intragroup Status and Health (ISAH) model among Japanese SGM ( n = 222). The model posits that perceived status within one's minority group can have both direct benefits and indirect costs for mental health through identity‐related mechanisms. Results indicated that the original ISAH model treating identity importance and identity‐salience as a unified construct (identity‐centrality) best fit the Japanese data, suggesting that these identity dimensions may be psychologically indistinct in collectivist contexts. Intragroup status was positively associated with mental health, both directly and indirectly, though indirect pathways through perceived discrimination partially offset these benefits. Subgroup analyses further revealed that model relationships were consistent across gender identities but varied by disclosure status and sexual orientation. Overall, findings support the ISAH model's relevance to Japanese SGM while underscoring cultural variation in how minority identities are structured and linked to mental health.