Structural Stigma and the Health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations

Psychological research has made significant advancements in the study of stigma but has tended to focus on individual and interpersonal stigma processes. Recently, researchers have expanded the stigma construct to consider how broader, macrosocial forms of stigma—termed structural stigma—also disadvantage stigmatized individuals. In this article, I review cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, and longitudinal studies demonstrating that structural stigma is a risk indicator for psychiatric and physical-health morbidities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations. As this work is still in its infancy, the next generation of research will benefit from identifying mediators and moderators of the structural stigma–health association and from examining direct and synergistic relationships between structural and individual forms of stigma.