Critical action as a buffer of the psychological impact of minority stress in LGBT individuals

Critical action is the action undertaken by an individual or a group to react against oppressive experiences and structures. While critical action is influential in driving policy change and rectifying intergroup inequities, less is known about the psychological benefits of collective action on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals participating in collective action. The present study developed a critical action scale in a sample of 1050 LGBT individuals. Results identified two dimensions of critical action, i.e., individual action and collective action. Moderation analysis showed that both individual and collective action can buffer the effect of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms. For individuals with more active participation in critical action, the negative effect of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms was smaller. Although collective action is more powerful in structural changes, not individuals of all societies have access to collective action due to the absence of opportunity structures. Individual action, that is able to be initiated and undertaken individually, can be directed to transform heterosexist biases in interpersonal context and is a more manageable way to reclaim personal empowerment and protect mental health in the face of stigmatization. Copyright © 2019 SPSSI 2019 Summer Conference.