Decades of research have documented pervasive physical and mental health disparities among individuals holding a marginalized identity, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ). Heterosexism in the forms of harassment, rejection, and discrimination likely increases minority stress, which is theorized to contribute to documented health disparities. One group that may be particularly vulnerable to effects of heterosexist discrimination, harassment, and rejection is LGBQ college students, especially those who identify as first-generation and were raised in rural environments. The current study aimed to evaluate relationships between LGBQ discrimination, depression, and physical health outcomes at the bivariate level, as well as in mediation and moderated-mediation models. The current sample of LGBQ college students was drawn from an anonymous online survey focused on college student health behaviors. This sample endorsed high somatic symptom burden and levels of clinical depression. Results revealed statistically significant relationships between depression and physical health outcomes; however, heterosexist discrimination was not correlated with any study variable. Furthermore, depression was identified as a statistically significant mediator of the relationship between discrimination and somatic symptom burden, but not depression and self-rated health. First-generation status and rural upbringing were not statistically significant moderators of the mediation models. Results provide support for the health disparities experienced by LGBQ college students, however the mechanisms explaining the link between discrimination and poor physical health outcomes are still unclear for this population. Future research may evaluate other contextual factors that are more likely to influence college students’ daily lives (e.g., campus climate, support systems) as it relates to the minority stress model.

Humor is a multifaceted construct commonly used in daily life. For centuries philosophers, healers, and religious figures have extolled humor as the “best medicine” for both the body and the mind. Recent research has shown humor can be adaptive or maladaptive (i.e., contribute to or subtract from well-being; Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, & Weir, 2003). Empirical evidence supporting these claims for humor and physical health has been inconsistent; however, new evidence suggests there may indeed be a connection (Martin, 2001; Martin et al., 2003). At the same time, previous research has consistently supported the notion that using humor is related to psychological health. Findings such as these have implications beyond one’s physical and mental health; these findings also have implications on one’s quality of life. Much like the notion of humor, quality of life is a difficult concept to define succinctly. Quality of life contains several domains including physical health, mental health, social status, and environmental elements (Skevington, Lotfy, & O’Connell, 2004). Previous research has suggested a link between humor and quality of life. Adaptive humor is positively correlated with indicators of psychological health, e.g. self-esteem (e.g., Stieger, Formann, & Burger, 2011) while maladaptive humor has been positively correlated with indicators of psychological distress, e.g. depression (Hugelshofer, Kwon, Reff, & Olson, 2006). To date, researchers have not studied humor and quality of life directly so the primary purpose of this study was to explore how well humor styles predict quality of life. To explore this predictive relationship, students from an introductory psychology class at a mid-size university were recruited to participate in this study. It was hypothesized that the adaptive humor styles would positively predict quality of life while the maladaptive humor styles would negatively predict quality of life. Stepwise regression models found partial support for the hypotheses. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Heavy alcohol use is associated with a range of negative health outcomes, and some individuals who experience traumatic events, such as sexual assault, use alcohol to cope with mental health symptoms following the trauma. This study explored the association between alcohol variables and physical health in collegiate women who experienced a sexual assault. As part of a larger study, a sample of 250 collegiate women who experienced a sexual assault since the age of 14 completed an online questionnaire that included questions about alcohol use (frequency, quantity, and frequency of binge drinking), motives for alcohol use, and physical health. Correlations among study variables were computed to examine the associations between alcohol variables and physical health. Only drinking to cope with negative emotions showed a significant association with physical health, indicating that among collegiate women who experienced a sexual assault, those who frequently use alcohol as a coping mechanism more often report poorer physical health. This finding aligns with prior research on drinking motives and may suggest that identifying alternative coping strategies may be important for some sexual assault survivors. Contrary to expectations, other alcohol variables (i.e., frequency, quantity, binge drinking, and other drinking motives) were not significantly correlated with physical health.

Literature has often connected the variables of physical health, mental health, and romantic relationship satisfaction or quality. However, there has yet been any evidence of a mediating relationship. The purpose of this study is to test for mediation of satisfaction with daily marital interactions on physical symptoms through psychological distress. The data is from the Life and Family Legacies Daily Experiences Study and includes 191 older couples over the course of 14 days. Multilevel dyadic models were estimated for both the same-day data as well as lagged data. Indirect effects between the variables were significant, but not for the lagged data. Effectively managing symptoms to enhance mental health may improve daily marital satisfaction for older adults.

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Tennessee is a state in the United States South region, which is disproportionately burdened with higher levels of chronic disease and mental health disorders. Despite its unique cultural heritage and close-knit communities, the region faces a range of challenges related to access to mental health services, stigma, social and economic factors that can negatively impact mental health outcomes. Racial disparities in mental health among Black people are a significant challenge in the region that requires urgent attention. There is a need for increased funding for mental health initiatives in rural and underserved areas of Tennessee. The proposed study examines the association between physical health and depression among Blacks in Tennessee. We used cross-sectional data from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System a nationally representative U.S. telephone-based survey of adults aged 18 years and extracted data for participants who self-identified as race/ethnicity Black, and who reside in Tennessee (n=476). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the association number of past month physically unhealthy days and depression (outcome). We controlled for income, race/ethnicity, educational status, gender, health insurance status, and age. Results indicate that 19.9% (n=195) reported having been diagnosed with depression, while 25.0% (n=119) reported 1-14 physically unhealthy days in the past month, and 15.3% (n=73) reported 15-30 unhealthy days. Our logistic regression analysis revealed that 15-30 physically unhealthy days (OR=4.47, 95% CI, 2.37, 8.40), 1-14 physically unhealthy days (OR=3.59, 95% CI, 2.07, 6.24), and female gender (OR=2.00, 95% CI, 1.14, 3.49). The findings reveal a strong association between physically unhealthy days and depression among Black people in Tennessee. Greater efforts to address both poor physical health and mental health among Blacks are essential. Efforts to improve access to mental health services, reduce mental health stigma, and address social and economic factors that can negatively impact mental health outcomes are essential to addressing this challenge, particularly among Blacks in Tennessee.

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