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Hi, Roamajous. Here's the abstract: Minor attracted persons (MAPs) represent a highly stigmatized population. While robust literatures exist linking stigma-related stressors to negative psychological sequalae in other stigmatized populations, the research examining stigma processes in MAPs has only recently begun to develop. The present study expands this area of research by examining associations between stigma-related stressors (e.g., internalized pedonegativity, perceived support from close others, disclosing minor attraction), relational quality, loneliness, and psychological distress in an online sample of MAPs (n = 202). Results demonstrated expected associations between perceived lack of support from others, increased internalized pedonegativity, psychological distress, and suicidality. Mediation modelling suggest loneliness mediates the relationship between perceived support from family and mental health outcomes and partially mediates the relationship between internalized pedonegativity and psychological distress. Our findings also show that most MAPs had disclosed their minor attraction to someone in their life but disclosure itself was not associated with improved mental health; whether a disclosure was followed by support was associated with increased wellbeing. The results of this study improve our understanding of MAPs’ mental health and can help inform how clinicians provide support to this population. |