Public PhD Defense of Gustavo Camposano
- CIS-Iscte
- Apr 11
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Gustavo Aybar Camposano, a PhD candidate in the Doctoral Program in Psychology, will defend the thesis titled "Pride Against Prejudice: A "Social Cure" for Minority Stress Among Lesbian and Gay Individuals". The public defense is scheduled for April 23, 2025, 10:00 at Sala de Provas, B327 (Building 4) of Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon. And online: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/7441410132
Changes on room and Zoom link may be updated at Iscte's website.
Abstract
Mental health disparities between lesbian and gay (LG) people and heterosexual people are well-documented, and often attributed to minority stress stemming from homophobic stigma. However, less attention has been paid to the effective strategies enacted by people to cope with the negative effects of minority stress on mental health, particularly at the individual and interpersonal levels. Many LG people are forced to manage their sexual identity as a response to minority stress, either by connecting with or disconnecting from the LGBTQ+ community, resulting in individual or collective coping strategies. Yet, the conditions influencing these choices, and their effectiveness remain unclear. To investigate this, we bridge the minority stress model with the social identity approach to health, testing these principles across four studies. Study 1 examined how social perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community and cultural orientations may influence the inclination toward specific coping strategies. Study 2 explored the role of these social perceptions in the negative association between minority stress and mental health outcomes. Lastly, we used cross-sectional (Study 3) and longitudinal data (Study 4) to assess the effectiveness of individual and collective coping strategies. The overall findings reveal that collective strategies, such as engaging with and receiving support from the LGBTQ+ community, were associated with positive mental health outcomes compared to individualistic approaches, like presenting as heterosexual. Additionally, social perceptions and cultural values significantly determined the effectiveness and likelihood of engaging in these coping processes. This thesis enhances our understanding of how LG people cope with minority stress, providing valuable insights for researchers and practitioners addressing sexual identity-related mental health inequalities.
Members of the jury:
Maria Rosa Cabecinhas (Universidade do Minho)
Pedro Nunes da Costa (Universidade do Porto)
Fabio Fasoli (University of Surrey)
Sven Waldzus (Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)
Carla Moleiro (Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)