Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Doctoral Research Paper
Degree Name
Psy.D.
Organizational Unit
Graduate School of Professional Psychology
First Advisor
Kathryn Barrs
Second Advisor
Mallaree Blake
Third Advisor
Brian Beaumund
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Keywords
LGBTQ+ youth, Mental health, Primary care, Minority stress model
Abstract
Individuals in positions of power influence youth wellbeing, self-perception, and overall mental health. According to the minority stress model, individuals who hold marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ+ youth, face unique, chronic, and socially based additive stressors. Research shows that these additive stressors contribute to LGBTQ+ youth experiencing disproportionate rates of mental health concerns. Queer youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their non-queer identifying peers. Additive stressors that LGBTQ+ youth face include prejudiced events, stigma, decisions of concealment or disclosure, and internalized homophobia and transphobia. This paper will review and integrate research, utilizing the minority stress model as a foundation for understanding primary care physicians’ roles in contributing to or dismantling the historical harm that queer youth encounter within the United States healthcare system and beyond. The application of this model allows for an investigation of both individual and systemic factors contributing to the queer youth mental health crisis, advocating for accountability and change for both individual providers and the healthcare system at large. Findings from this integrated review illuminate lessons for primary care physicians to improve mental health outcomes for their queer youth patients. Action steps are recommended, and local, state, and national resources are provided.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Extent
47 pgs
Recommended Citation
Lampert, Kyrie, "Affirming Care: Lessons from Minority Stress Model to Bolster Mental Health Outcomes for LGBTQ+ Youth in Primary Care" (2023). Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects. 494.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/capstone_masters/494
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons