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Direct and Indirect Effects of Perceived Stigma on Posttraumatic Growth in Gay Men and Lesbian Women in Chile
Author(s) -
Cárdenas Manuel,
Barrientos Jaime,
Meyer Ilan,
Gómez Fabiola,
Guzmán Mónica,
Bahamondes Joaquín
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.22256
Subject(s) - psychology , lesbian , psychological intervention , coping (psychology) , posttraumatic growth , clinical psychology , multilevel model , social support , social psychology , psychiatry , machine learning , computer science , psychoanalysis
This study examined the direct and indirect effects of perceived stigma on posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of gay men and lesbian women in Chile, with coping strategies (positive reappraisal, social support seeking, and active coping strategies) as intermediate variables. Data from 467 gay men (57.4%) and lesbian women (42.6%) were analyzed. A respondent‐driven sampling (RDS) method was used. The hierarchical regression analysis indicated the important predictive role of active coping, β = .23, and positive reappraisal, β = .45, in PTG, R 2 = .31, p < .001, f 2 = 0.16. Results revealed that, in the presence of positive reappraisal coping as an intermediate variable, partial indirect effects are detected between perceived stigma and PTG. Seeking instrumental social support did not produce indirect effects between perceived stigma and PTG, whereas active coping produced partial indirect effects. These findings suggest that the positive reappraisal of a traumatic experience is essential for reporting personal growth. Implications of these more complex relations for counseling interventions and further research are discussed.