The socioecology of sexual minority stigma: Advancing theory on stigma-based mechanisms underlying sexual orientation-based disparities in health

Research in public health and psychology has identified sexual minority stigma-related risk factors that contribute to sexual orientation-based health disparities across settings and societies worldwide. Existing scholarship, however, has predominantly focused on these factors as independent, stand-alone risk factors, neglecting their interconnected nature across different levels. This article theoretically explores how sexual minority stigma may function as a multilevel socioecological system, by building on prevailing theories and emphasizing the interplay between structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal stigma-related factors. Drawing on the minority stress and socioecological theories, three central tenets are proposed, namely 1) chronosystem with immediate, accumulating, or lasting effects across spatiotemporal contexts, 2) nested multilevel system with cross-level effects, and 3) mechanistic pathways linking stigma exposure to health. By providing a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of how sexual minority stigma may operate as a multilevel socioecological system, this article reflects on the novel implications of this interpretation for future research and aims to guide future conceptualizations and studies, acknowledging the complexity of sexual minority stigma exposure across historical contexts, societies, and the individual life course in shaping physical and mental health of sexual minorities. Limitations of current research and recommendations for future research are being discussed.