Video-Sharing Platforms, Minority Stress, and Sexual and Gender Minority Communities: a Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Background Sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities experience minority stress arising from stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and expectations of rejection. Video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have become prominent environments for identity expression, peer connection, and the circulation of SGM-related discourse. This systematic review examined how video-sharing platforms are represented in relation to minority stress, support, coping, and psychosocial experiences among SGM communities. Methods Reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020, the review searched Ovid across PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Embase through 22 March 2026 using a multi-purpose field strategy. Findings were synthesized through a narrative synthesis informed by Popay et al. (2006). Methodological quality was appraised at the criterion level using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT, version 2018). Results Twelve studies published between 2014 and 2025 were included. The evidence base was dominated by qualitative, content-analytic, and mixed-methods designs and was concentrated in North America, with smaller contributions from Taiwan and India. Four themes were identified: identity affirmation and belonging; stigma, exclusion, and structural discrimination; peer support and coping; and platform discourse, normativity, and resistance. Across studies, YouTube and TikTok were the most salient platforms, while transgender, nonbinary, and broader SGM populations were more visible than lesbian- or bisexual-specific groups. Conclusion Video-sharing platforms are best understood as contested psychosocial environments rather than inherently therapeutic spaces. They may support connection, affirmation, and coping, but they can also reproduce minority stress through harassment, stigmatizing discourse, algorithmic inequity, and exclusionary platform governance. These findings support a refinement of minority stress theory for digital contexts and underscore the need for more longitudinal, comparative, and intersectionally informed research.