Publications

Dyar. C. (2024). The cumulative effects of stigma-related stress: Chronic stigma-related stress exposure exacerbates daily associations between enacted stigma and anxious/depressed affect. Social Science & Medicine, 344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116604

  • Findings: LGBTQ+ people who have experienced more discrimination and victimization in their lifetimes experience more anxious and depressed mood following experiences of microaggression compared to those who have experienced less cumulative discrimination and victimization. These effects of experiencing microaggressions also lasted for longer among LGBTQ+ people who have experienced more discrimination and victimization in their lifetimes. These findings highlight the cumulative effects of discrimination, victimization, and microaggressions.

Dyar. C. (2024). Prospective examination of mechanisms linking minority stress and anxious/depressed affect at the event-level: The roles of emotion regulation strategies and proximal minority stressors. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 133, 178-191. doi:10.1037/abn0000882 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38095971/

  • Findings: When LGBTQ+ people experienced microaggressions, they experienced increases in anxious and depressed mood that persisted throughout the day. Following experiences of microaggressions were less likely to use reappraisal and more likely to engage in rumination and expressive suppression, which helped to explain the link between microaggressions and anxious/depressed mood.

 

Dyar, C., Feinstein, B. A., Mallory, A. B., & Morgan, E. (2023). Intersectional effects of sexual orientation and racial/ethnic discrimination on substance use among young adult sexual minority cisgender women and nonbinary people of color: Testing additive, prominence, and multiplicative hypotheses. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000680

  • Findings: In this study, we explored several hypotheses regarding how experiences of racism and sexual orientation-based discrimination interact to predict substance use among LGBTQ+ BIPOC. For example, results provided some support for the multiplicative hypothesis. This posits that when individuals experience high levels of both racism and sexual orientation-based discrimination, the effects on mental health are worse than they would be expected to be if the effects of racism and sexual orientation-based discrimination were simply added together. This highlights that experiencing stigma based on both race and sexual orientation may be particularly harmful to the health of LGBTQ+ BIPOC individuals.

 

Dyar, C., & Feinstein, B.A. (2023). Event-level contextual and motivational risk factors for cannabis use: Evidence for differing associations based on individual-level patterns of cannabis use among sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. doi:10.1037/sgd0000645

  • Findings: When LGBTQ+ people reported using cannabis to enjoy its effects, to cope with feelings of anxiety and depression, or to make a social situation more enjoyable, they tended to use more cannabis than when they did not endorse these motives. Further, using cannabis in social settings and when alone on the same day was associated with heavier cannabis use then using in only one of these contexts.

 

Puckett, J. A., Dyar, C., Maroney, M. R., Mustanski, B., & Newcomb, M. E. (2022). Daily experiences of minority stress and mental health in transgender and gender diverse individuals. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 32(3), 340–350.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/36913272/

  • Findings: When transgender and gender diverse individuals experienced microaggressions and gender nonaffirmation, they experienced increases in symptoms of anxiety and depression that persisted into the next week.

 

Dyar, C., Kaysen, D., Newcomb, M. E., & Mustanski, B. (2022). Event-level associations among minority stress, coping motives, and substance use among sexual minorities assigned female at birth. Addictive Behaviors, 134.doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107397. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9732144/

  • Findings: When LGBTQ+ individuals experienced microaggressions, they were more likely to use cannabis to cope with feelings of anxiety and depression later that day, which in turn was associated with heavier cannabis use and experiencing more consequences of cannabis (e.g., feeling sick or dizzy; doing something embarrassing; not remembering the prior evening).

 

Dyar, C., Feinstein, B. A., Newcomb, M. E., & Whitton, S. W. (2022). The association between bi+ stigma and problematic cannabis use: Testing coping motives as an underlying mechanism. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 83, 126-133. doi:10.15288/jsad.2022.83.126. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8819895/

  • Findings: When bi+ individuals (i.e., people with attractions to more than one gender) experienced more bi+ microaggressions (e.g., stereotypes that bisexuality is not a legitimate sexual orientation or that bi+ individuals are promiscuous), they used cannabis to cope with feelings of depression and anxiety more often, which in turn was associated with experiencing more negative consequences of cannabis use (e.g., having difficulty quitting or cutting back, cannabis causing problems with friends and family).

 

Dyar, C., Feinstein, B. A., Sarno, E. L., Pirog, S., Newcomb, M. E., & Whitton, S. W. (2021). Prospective associations between bi+ minority stressors and internalizing symptoms: The mediating roles of general and group-specific processes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(10), 845-855. doi:10.1037/ccp0000689. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8725783/

  • Findings: When bi+ individuals experienced higher levels of bi+ microaggressions, they engaged in more rumination and felt more negative about their bi+ identities, which in turn predicted subsequent increases in symptoms of anxiety and depression.

 

Dyar, C., Feinstein, B. A., Bettin, E., & Davila, J. (2022). Bisexual+ visibility attempts: Associations with minority stress, affect, and substance use in a daily diary study. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 9, 201-213.doi:10.1037/sgd0000469. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9272947/

  • Findings: On days when bi+ individuals disclosed their bi+ identity, they experienced more bi+ microaggressions and felt more positive affect. These outcomes were each associated with disclosure events that occurred in different types of contexts. When bi+ disclosure events occurred with friends, they experienced more positive affect. However, when they disclosed their identity in contexts that were potentially less supportive (e.g., with family members and strangers), they experienced more microaggressions. These findings highlight the complexities of navigating disclosure in different contexts.

 

Dyar, C., Dworkin, E. R., Pirog, S., & Kaysen, D. (2021). Social interaction anxiety and perceived coping efficacy: Mechanisms of the association between minority stress and drinking consequences. Addictive Behaviors, 114. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106718. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8009481/

  • Findings: When LGBTQ+ women experienced microaggressions, they reported more anxiety in social situations and felt less capable of coping with stressful events, which in turn were associated with experiencing more drinking consequences that day.

 

Dyar, C., Sarno, E. L., Newcomb, M.E., Whitton, S. W. (2020). Longitudinal associations between minority stress, internalizing symptoms, and substance use among sexual and gender minority individuals assigned female at birth. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88, 389-401. doi:10.1037/ccp0000487. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7148197/

  • Findings: When LGBTQ+ individuals assigned female at birth (i.e., cisgender women; transgender men, and nonbinary individuals) experienced more microaggressions and victimization, they experienced subsequent increases in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Findings linking microaggressions and victimization to substance use were inconsistent.

 

Dyar, C., Newcomb, M. E., & Mustanski, B. (2019). Longitudinal associations between minority stressors and substance use among sexual and gender minority individuals. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 201(1), 205-211. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.03.032. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6658128/

  • Findings: When LGBTQ+ individuals assigned male at birth (i.e., cisgender men; transgender women, and nonbinary individuals) experienced more microaggressions and victimization, they experienced more substance use consequences during the same six-month period but these elevations in substance use consequences did not persist into the six months.

 

Dyar, C., Taggart, T.C., Rodriguez-Seijas, C., Thompson Jr, R.G., Elliott, J.C., Hasin, D.S., & Eaton, N. R. (2019). Physical health disparities across dimensions of sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and sex: Evidence for increased risk among bisexual adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48, 225-242. doi:10.1007/s10508-018-1169-8.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6382069/

  • Findings: In this study, we explore disparities in physical health conditions based on sexual orientation. Results indicated that bi+ individuals experienced the largest burden of health disparities and that these disparities varied by sexual and race/ethnicity.