In fact, ‘coping resources’ are mentioned throughout the literature on sexual minority youth, and variations in coping styles are often considered an important factor in health outcomes within this population ( Hunter, 1999 Perrin et al., 2004 Safren & Heimberg, 1999). Social workers and counselors are often advised to assess personal resources for coping with heterosexism when evaluating the needs of lesbian and gay youth and developing appropriate case management plans ( Ryan & Futterman, 1998). Recent research has revealed elevated levels of social anxiety in sexual minority adolescents ( Safren & Pantalone, 2006), as well as associations between social anxiety and increased sexual risk behavior in this population ( Hart & Heimberg, 2005). Few researchers have examined the emotional consequences of day-to-day encounters with heterosexism, but many have noted the challenge of maintaining a positive sense of self in the face of chronic negative feedback based in heterosexist attitudes (e.g., Dean et al., 2000 Williamson, 2000).
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The experience of being stigmatized is at the root of a range of psychosocial health problems faced by sexual minority adolescents (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1993 Rotheram-Borus & Fernandez, 1995), including increased depression, suicidality, and other mental health disorders ( Meyer, 2003). One of the most daunting stressors gay and bisexual youth face is heterosexism, the ideological system that denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community ( Herek, 1990).
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To assist youth to cope successfully and thrive, service providers need a thorough understanding of the challenges they face, how they cope with them, and which coping strategies or combinations of strategies may be best suited to a particular stressor or situation. Gay and bisexual youth face an array of unique challenges in addition to many of the developmental stressors facing heterosexual adolescents.