Is Minority Stress in the Eye of the Beholder? A Test of Minority Stress Theory with Christians

Studies using minority stress theory have focused on the experiences of numerical and social power minorities, though majority individuals may also perceive themselves to be minorities. We explored minority stress theory among a sample of members of a numerically and socially dominant group: Christi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and health
Authors: Parent, Mike C. (Author) ; Brewster, Melanie E. (Author) ; Cook, Stephen W. (Author) ; Harmon, Kevin A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [2018]
In: Journal of religion and health
Further subjects:B Minority Groups
B identity management
B Discrimination
B Religious Beliefs
B Moderated mediation
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Studies using minority stress theory have focused on the experiences of numerical and social power minorities, though majority individuals may also perceive themselves to be minorities. We explored minority stress theory among a sample of members of a numerically and socially dominant group: Christians in the USA. Perceiving oneself to be a member of a minority as a Christian was associated with stress indirectly via perceived experiences of faith-based discrimination (i.e., harassment due to being Christian). Being more open about one's religion moderated the relationship between experiences of faith-based discrimination and stress, such that those who were open about their faith reported a stronger relationship between experiences of faith-based discrimination and stress. These findings indicate that perceptions of minority status are important to understanding stress and have implications for minority/majority dialogues.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-017-0550-6