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Two decades have passed since Ilan Meyer first published the minority stress theory (MST) model. Since then, scholars have used MST extensively to expand the field's understanding of LGBTQ+ populations' experiences with stress and mental health. To better represent these experiences, scholars have combined MST with other theories in empirical articles, but a theoretical model has yet to be proposed that unifies this work. In the current paper, we seek to acknowledge and extend this work by proposing a Temporal Intersectional Minority Stress (TIMS) model. The TIMS model incorporates Intersectionality and historical, generational, and developmental time from Life Course Theory to account for the sociopolitical and cultural changes that have occurred since the creation of the original MST model. We hope this model will help extend work related to minority stress, and we invite further theoretical development to occur using this model as a new framework for scholars to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Despite ample evidence of the negative effects of racial discrimination on African American adolescents' psychological well-being, less is known about the role of social support as a mechanistic pathway. The purpose of this study was to understand whether lower levels of family social support explained the link between racial discrimination and psychological distress by testing the social support deterioration model. Methods: A sample of 401 African American adolescents from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods was used for this study. Adolescents self-reported on whether they experienced racial discrimination or worried about racial discrimination across several contexts; their receipt of social support from their family; and measures of psychological distress. Results: Adolescents experiencing or worrying about racial discrimination in one to three contexts reported lower levels of family social support relative to adolescents not experiencing or worrying about racial discrimination experiences in any context, and in turn associated with higher levels of psychological distress. In contrast, relative to adolescents reporting no racial discrimination experiences or worries, family social support was not a significant mediator for adolescents experiencing or worrying about racial discrimination in more than four contexts. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the path by which racial discrimination is linked to psychological distress varies by the number of contexts by which adolescents experience or worry about racial discrimination. Adolescents experiencing fewer instances of racial discrimination may not receive or perceive the familial support they need to combat the negative mental health effects of racial discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Family stress models have a long and rich history in family science research and are useful frameworks for understanding multicultural families. Although these models add greatly to research on diverse families in general, we believe that the almost exclusive focus on cross‐cultural replications may come at the cost of a more culturally and contextually informed understanding of specific groups such as African Americans. In this article, we expand current family stress models using two key extensions that challenge some of the underlying assumptions and situate constructs within intersectionality and mundane extreme environmental stress (MEES) perspectives. In addition, we introduce an integrative theoretical framework, the sociocultural family stress (SFS) model, which includes explicit considerations of both the culture and heterogeneity of African Americans and their families. Suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has produced what, at surface, appears to be paradoxical findings regarding race/ethnic differences in the relationship between social stress and substance use. Despite exposure to higher levels of stress and adversity, Blacks are less likely to report drug use compared to their White counterparts, suggesting that their stress exposure may be unrelated to substance use. We revisit this issue by analyzing data from a South Florida-based sample of 426 male youths. Using multiple group analyses, results indicate that stress exposure increases risk of drug use for Blacks and Whites; however, the magnitude of these linkages varied by race. We find that stress exposure was related to substance use among Black youths, and that these linkages explained more variance in alcohol and marijuana use compared to White youths. Findings suggest a continued effort in the development and implementation of social interventions aimed at reducing the environmental and social structural correlates of adolescent drug use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]